Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Shaft

  • 1971
  • R
  • 1h 40m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
22K
YOUR RATING
Richard Roundtree in Shaft (1971)
Watch the trailer for Shaft, starring Richard Roundtree.
Play trailer3:10
5 Videos
99+ Photos
ActionCrimeThriller

A crime lord hires black private eye, John Shaft, to find and retrieve his kidnapped daughter.A crime lord hires black private eye, John Shaft, to find and retrieve his kidnapped daughter.A crime lord hires black private eye, John Shaft, to find and retrieve his kidnapped daughter.

  • Director
    • Gordon Parks
  • Writers
    • Ernest Tidyman
    • John D.F. Black
  • Stars
    • Richard Roundtree
    • Moses Gunn
    • Charles Cioffi
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • IMDb RATING
    6.6/10
    22K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Gordon Parks
    • Writers
      • Ernest Tidyman
      • John D.F. Black
    • Stars
      • Richard Roundtree
      • Moses Gunn
      • Charles Cioffi
    • 119User reviews
    • 81Critic reviews
    • 66Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 6 wins & 6 nominations total

    Videos5

    Shaft: Trailer
    Trailer 3:10
    Shaft: Trailer
    Blaxploitation Movies & Black Power in the 1970s
    Clip 4:51
    Blaxploitation Movies & Black Power in the 1970s
    Blaxploitation Movies & Black Power in the 1970s
    Clip 4:51
    Blaxploitation Movies & Black Power in the 1970s
    A Salute to Black Directors
    Clip 4:16
    A Salute to Black Directors
    Unsung Black Heroes of Film History
    Clip 4:30
    Unsung Black Heroes of Film History
    'SuperFly' Returns With New Style, Classic Swagger
    Video 4:08
    'SuperFly' Returns With New Style, Classic Swagger

    Photos108

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 100
    View Poster

    Top cast47

    Edit
    Richard Roundtree
    Richard Roundtree
    • John Shaft
    Moses Gunn
    Moses Gunn
    • Bumpy Jonas
    Charles Cioffi
    Charles Cioffi
    • Lt. Vic Androzzi
    Christopher St. John
    Christopher St. John
    • Ben Buford
    Gwenn Mitchell
    Gwenn Mitchell
    • Ellie Moore
    Lawrence Pressman
    Lawrence Pressman
    • Det. Tom Hannon
    Victor Arnold
    Victor Arnold
    • Charlie
    Sherri Brewer
    • Marcy Jonas
    Rex Robbins
    • Rollie
    Camille Yarbrough
    • Dina Greene
    Margaret Warncke
    • Linda
    Joseph Leon
    • Capt. Byron Leibowitz
    Arnold Johnson
    Arnold Johnson
    • Cul
    Dominic Barto
    • Patsy
    George Strus
    • Carmen
    Edmund Hashim
    Edmund Hashim
    • Lee
    Drew Bundini Brown
    Drew Bundini Brown
    • Willy
    Tommy Lane
    Tommy Lane
    • Leroy
    • Director
      • Gordon Parks
    • Writers
      • Ernest Tidyman
      • John D.F. Black
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Shaft's Big Score!
    6.0
    Shaft's Big Score!
    Shaft in Africa
    5.9
    Shaft in Africa
    Shaft
    6.0
    Shaft
    Super Fly
    6.4
    Super Fly
    Shaft
    6.4
    Shaft
    Shaft
    6.5
    Shaft
    Foxy Brown
    6.5
    Foxy Brown
    Coffy
    6.8
    Coffy
    Cleopatra Jones
    5.9
    Cleopatra Jones
    Across 110th Street
    7.0
    Across 110th Street
    Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song
    5.5
    Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song
    Shaft 6
    7.1
    Shaft 6

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Isaac Hayes was the first African-American to win the Academy Award for Best Song. In fact, he was also the first African-American to win an Oscar for a non-acting category.
    • Goofs
      When Shaft pushes one of Bumpy's goons into his office, the sound of glass breaking is heard, but the glass window in the office door is clearly undamaged until a short time later.
    • Quotes

      John Shaft: Don't let your mouth get your ass in trouble.

    • Alternate versions
      CBS edited 28 minutes from this film for its 1975 network television premiere.
    • Connections
      Featured in Soul in Cinema: Filming Shaft on Location (1971)
    • Soundtracks
      Theme from Shaft
      (uncredited)
      Music by Isaac Hayes
      Lyrics by Isaac Hayes
      Performed by Isaac Hayes

    User reviews119

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10

    Watch as a double feature with "Coffy."

    Shaft is the man! This is a great blaxploitation film with good acting and lots of action. A private investigator is hired by a black gangster to find his daughter who was kidnapped by Italian gangsters. The first half of the film is Shaft getting shot at and trying to figure out why, and the second half is him rescuing the girl. Lots of people get shot, and even Shaft, but he pulls through and is the hero. A very good film.
    • jj805282
    • Aug 4, 2022
    • Permalink

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ19

    • How long is Shaft?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 2, 1971 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Detektiv Saft
    • Filming locations
      • Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
    • Production companies
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
      • Shaft Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $1,125,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 40 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Richard Roundtree in Shaft (1971)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Shaft (1971) officially released in India in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb app
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb app
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb app
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2024 by IMDb.com, Inc.