Shaft - 1971

What It Is: One of the two movies that started it all. A quintessential blaxploitation film.

Why I Watched It: It's Black History Month, baby. You dig?

What I Thought: For an almost 40-year-old movie, Shaft has just enough action, comedy, and mystery to compete with any modern day tale about a private dick.

Things are gettin' heavy in Harlem when a bunch of mob suits move in from out of town. The cops aren't down with the jive, so they need a brotha with an ear to the streets. They need a "private dick that's a sex machine to all the chicks."

With a crime boss named "Bumpy" and a male lead bedding more chicks than James Bond, what more could you want from a blaxploitation film? An award winning theme song from Isaac (fucking) Hayes, that's what! And when I say award winning, I'm talking an Oscar for Best Music: Song. That's right kids, Isaac Hayes won an Academy Award for being "a bad mother... Shut your mouth!"

In some ways, the 70's were pretty fucking cool...

Dig This: Simply AMAZING soundtrack, Richard Roundtree's performance as John Shaft is basically the mold for every badass anti-hero type since, and 'groovy boobs' with the line "close it yourself, shitty!"

Who Should See It: Fans of detective stories, cop movies, blaxploitation films, and groovy... soundtracks!

How Soon: Grab the DVD whenever you need to dig a cool cat that don't take jive from nobody!