Shaft poster

Shaft

The mob wanted Harlem back. They got Shaft...up to here.

6.4(443)19711h 40m5

Cool Black private eye John Shaft is hired by a crime lord to find and retrieve his kidnapped daughter.

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Status
Released
Budget
$1.1M
Box office
$12.1M
Language
English
Part of Shaft Collection · 5 films
  • daughter
  • new york city
  • police
  • gangster
  • ghetto
  • blaxploitation cinema
  • biting
  • aggressive
  • suspenseful
  • tense
  • assertive

Top billed cast

Behind the camera

Director

Gordon Parks

Produced in

United States of America

Where to watch

All options

Availability for India. Provided by JustWatch through the TMDB API.

Gallery

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Videos

Release dates

  • United StatesUS

    • PremiereRDetroit, Michigan23 Jun 1971
    • Theatrical (limited)RLos Angeles, California25 Jun 1971
    • TheatricalR2 Jul 1971
    • PremiereVirginia Film Festival6 Nov 2014
    • PremiereRiverRun International Film Festival17 Apr 2015
  • United KingdomGB

    • Theatrical19 Nov 1971
  • BrazilBR

    • Theatrical25 Jun 1971
    • PhysicalDVD5 Mar 2001
    • Theatrical (limited)14IMS Paulista (Especial Novembro Negro — Gordon Parks: A América Sou Eu)25 Nov 2025
  • GermanyDE

    • Theatrical16West Germany9 Aug 1972
  • IrelandIE

    • Theatrical1514 Jan 1972
  • JapanJP

    • TheatricalR18+1 Apr 1972
  • SwedenSE

    • Theatrical1515 Nov 1971

Frequently asked questions

Shaft was released on 25 June 1971.

Audience reviews

2
  • J

    JPV852

    6/10/2022

    7/10

    Richard Roundtree was great and Shaft as a character was absolutely amazing, everything else from the plot which was thin and performances by the supporting cast was a bit iffy. The pacing was also pretty slow and despite only being 100 minutes, felt a bit longer. Still, a good opening into the franchise. **3.5/5**

  • C

    CinemaSerf

    9/1/2025

    7/10

    Richard Rowntree exudes loads of charisma here as he takes on the role of the shrewd Harlem private investigator “Shaft” who finds himself embroiled in some fairly brutal New York politics. He’s drafted in by local gangster “Bumpy” (Moses Gunn) when this man’s daughter is kidnapped. He doesn’t know by whom or why - there are no ransom demands nor many breadcrumbs to follow, but there are plenty of suspects. Initially…

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