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In just three years, three “Shaft” movies hit the big screen—a remarkable feat, considering most Blaxploitation films were one-and-done, riding on an actor’s name rather than building a lasting franchise. Sadly, “Shaft in Africa” marked Richard Roundtree’s final cinematic outing as John Shaft, though he would reprise the role on television in a short-lived series and later return in a supporting capacity for two films, both simply titled “Shaft”.
In “Shaft in Africa”, private detective John Shaft is recruited by an international organization to infiltrate and dismantle a human trafficking ring smuggling African workers into Europe as slaves. Posing as one of the trafficked men, Shaft undergoes brutal training before embarking on a dangerous journey from Africa to France, where he must outwit ruthless criminals and corrupt officials.
Say what you will about “Shaft in Africa”, but the writers and producers can’t be accused of serving up the same old formula. This is an ambitious film that boldly takes the character in a fresh, original direction. Shaft is pulled out of his natural New York stomping grounds and thrust into an entirely different continent, where he navigates unfamiliar terrain and encounters a wide range of local challenges. “Shaft in Africa” blends the sweeping scope of historical epics like “Lawrence of Arabia” with several elements of the James Bond series, all infused with a dose of Blaxploitation grit.
But it doesn’t all work. It makes little to no sense for an international agency of this scale to recruit a New York City private detective—who then requires extensive training just to pass as someone from Africa. It’s clearly just an excuse to give Shaft some one-on-one time with the beautiful Aleme (Vonetta McGee), one of the women he seduces which is lifted straight from the James Bond playbook.
Shaft’s trek through the African landscape drags on for too long, with the film lacking a real sense of urgency—giving him too much time with too little to do. Like the James Bond movies, “Shaft in Africa” follows a formula where the villain always seems to know where he is, sending henchmen to take him out, leading to a series of fights and chases. But while Bond films, with their massive budgets, deliver elaborate and inventive set pieces, “Shaft in Africa” has to settle for something like a stick fight.
The violence in “Shaft in Africa” is brutal and fully earns its R-rating. People are bludgeoned to death, there’s a harrowing scene where victims burn alive inside a building, and worst of all, a dog is beaten to death with a stick—a moment that feels disturbingly real, especially for dog owners. While Shaft does get his revenge, giving the culprit a well-deserved beating (and later killing him), the sight of Shaft carrying the dog’s lifeless body and giving it a burial feels oddly out of place in an action movie.
The villain in “Shaft in Africa” is far less compelling this time around, mostly operating from the sidelines as a shadowy mastermind. He and Shaft don’t even come face-to-face until the final minutes of the film, making him feel more like an afterthought than a true antagonist. His defining trait seems to be his particular kinks, as one of his first scenes involves him receiving a blowjob from the only woman who does it for him—Jazar (Neda Arneric). Eventually, he sends her to seduce Shaft and record their encounter, making him something of a cuckold. As if being a slave trader wasn’t bad enough, the film also paints him as a sexual deviant, though this angle serves no real purpose beyond positioning Jazar as a young woman with an insatiable appetite for sex.
And to be honest, this extremely beautiful woman is responsible for the film’s best scene—at least from a male gaze perspective. Her sex scene with Shaft keeps her on screen naked for minutes on end, and I can’t say I was complaining. If only the James Bond movies were this explicit. Then again, the R-rating may have limited the movie’s ability to reach a wider audience.
Sadly, the idea of Shaft as the first black James Bond doesn’t quite pay off. While it’s a serviceable movie in its own right, it never quite feels like a true “Shaft” film, especially when compared to the first two entries in the series. A better approach might have been to create an entirely original character who’s a special agent from the start, rather than trying to fit Shaft into a role that doesn’t quite align with his established persona.
