Shaft in Africa (1973)
There are times where Shaft in Africa edges on the profound. At other points, it’s straight up bad. Always, it’s entertaining.
Recruited by the Emir of Kemant (Marne Maitland), private detective John Shaft (Richard Roundtree) is brought to Ethiopia with the task of infiltrating a slave-trade run by Amafi (Frank Finlay).
Shaft’s identity is integrally linked to Queens; the police, the people, the woes and victories of blacks living in the crime-riddled streets. Taking him in a place where there’s no Man to butt heads with feels wrong… initially. Working undercover and not drawing attention to himself, there’s much less room for “oooooh!” moments and laughs. Then, a little bit of depth comes in. Shaft in Africa suggests that blacks have spent so much energy forging and maintaining their own identities in North America they’ve neglected their brothers on the motherland. Taking Shaft out of his ‘hood, for this reason, helps add new dimension to him.
And then… there are moments which haven’t aged well. 2018’s Black Panther clearly has love and admiration for Africa’s cultures, Shaft in Africa… not so much. This is a blaxploitation movie. The goal was to make a movie that appealed to black audiences but I doubt anyone involved has ever BEEN to Africa or was passionate about its peoples and traditions. Shaft is, in the end, an outsider who comes to save the locals both broadly and personally. He convinces the Emir’s daughter Aleme (Vonetta McGee) to not go through with the female circumcision part of her coming-of-age ceremony. To blend in, Shaft has to dumb down his vocabulary and practice fighting with a staff. He isn’t a white saviour… but only because he isn’t white. These moments can be excused based on the time and place the film was made and ultimately, Shaft in Africa does have sympathy for the people of Ethiopia and does feature a black hero. It brings to light modern methods of slavery so it is “woke” in that way.
As this series has progressed, it’s become more polished and this third chapter is very reminiscent of a James Bond film. Necks snapped, death traps, gadgets, and spy work. Everything’s amped up. Check out Neda Arneric as Jazar, a nymphomaniac working for Amafi whose mouth waters when she sees a Shaft shirtless. There are many action scenes and the bad guys are the kind you just love to hate.
Shaft in Africa has flaws but they make it more interesting. I dunno about the portrayal of Africans as big believers in mysticism or the shots of tribesmen living in huts while their women walk around topless for the audience to ogle but this presentation of the motherland gets you thinking, particularly when contrasted with Shaft’s Americanisms. The action scenes are fun and exciting, and the climax full of tension. It’ll stick with you, that’s for sure. (On DVD, June 17, 2019)
