Falconeer Richard Roundtree reprises his role as John Shaft, in this very respectable sequel to one of the greatest urban crime thrillers ever. The story is actually nothing new or spectacular; it's a standard 'cops go up against the mafia' story. But the script isn't really the draw here. It's the 70's; the clothes, the cars, the music, the incomparable "coolness" that made the first film so great. This one succeeds largely because they didn't stray from the formula that made the original a success. We have the same director, the same writers, and the same actors reprising their memorable roles. Director Gordon Parks makes full use of the super-wide lens; 1970's New York City looks absolutely magnificent in the 2:35 aspect ratio, as do the action packed, and blood drenched shoot-outs, and especially in the big finale. Featuring a classic shootout in a cemetery, followed by a manic car chase on the Cross Bronx Expressway, complete with pursuit by helicopter!. There's nothing more awesome than a 70's car chase sequence , and the action here is handled superbly. In fact this is one polished, sleek production, and it's pretty obvious that it had a larger budget than the first one. Sometimes that actually hurts a sequel, when it's more flashy than it's predecessor, but this one doesn't suffer that fate. Obviously a lot of the budget went towards the action effects. Those bloody gun shot wounds were among the most realistic I have ever seen. "Shaft's Big Score" is a must-see for fans of the original, and of 70's crime films in general. John Shaft is a truly iconic movie character, and it's a pleasure to see him on screen again, kicking bad guy ass and cleaning up the streets of New York. After seeing this one I'm really looking forward to "Shaft In Africa."

MartinHafer In this second installment in the Shaft franchise, the film centers much more on mobsters than on John Shaft. It seems that $250,000 has disappeared and mobsters are threatening to kill an innocent widow to find the money. So, naturally, in steps Shaft to save the widow and out-muscle the mob.What was so great about the first film, SHAFT, was its "cool factor". Richard Roundtree was smart, handsome and always in control--a man other men would have wanted to be. However, here he's not in the film as much and he's less a Black hero and more just a hustler with way too much emphasis on action and not enough on brains and determination. The best example of this is the very silly ending. It's Shaft versus a ton of mobsters in cars and a helicopter--and Shaft manages to take out every crook AND knock down a helicopter with a shotgun. All the crooks had were pistols and a machine gun!!! They didn't stand a chance in this ridiculous finale.I was an enormous fan of the original SHAFT (1971) and because of that I was sure to seek out this sequel. Unfortunately, so much of what I loved in the original was gone and this turned out to be just another action picture. For example, the great tune "Shaft" by Isaac Hayes was gone and the music was rather bland. While still watchable, it's also rather brainless and forgettable--earning a 5. Sadly, the next film SHAFT IN Africa is even worse.

lastliberal This is the proper sequel to Shaft and one that is worthy of his name. He is again the cool and calm brother that doesn't let anything bother him. He even gets worked over good by the baddies.Moses Gunn is back as Bumpy, a Blofeld character, and antagonist extraordinaire. And, of course, it's the old song about the Mafia horning in on Black turf that makes Shaft interesting - playing against both sides; black and white.Rosalind Miles is here to keep Shaft interested at home, but you know he will stray, so there is Kathy Imrie to bump into and bed.The ending with it's car chase and helicopter and machine guns is pure Bond, and Shaft outdoes Bond with a satchel full of loot to take home.Pure fun!

Boba_Fett1138 Shaft really was the African-American answer to the popular James Bond franchise. This movie shows this perhaps more than any of the other Shaft movies. Violence, girls, sex, chases, "Shaft's Big Score!" has it all!By no means any of the Shaft movies are among the greatest of all time. Nevertheless they are extremely memorable thanks to its main character, played by Richard Roundtree. He's hip, digs his women and isn't afraid to hold back when it comes to action. He's a classic and important iconic African-American character from the '70's.The movie its story and plot lines are a bit messy (in that way this movie also resembles James Bond movies), which also makes the movie unclear and not always totally interesting to follow. The movie also really lacks a good main ruthless villain. The villain in this movie is perhaps introduced a bit too late to really leave his mark on the movie. In that way "Shaft's Big Score!" is a really lacking movie, when it comes down to its story, storytelling and characters.Thankfully the movie isn't lacking in action and great dialog. Some of the dialog is just brilliant and suits the atmosphere of the movie- and its time period extremely well. Also of course the music adds to this atmosphere. But surprisingly good is also the action in the movie. The movie doesn't really feature that much action but the lack of it is made up during the great finale, that features a good old fashioned typical '70's car chase, boat chase and helicopter chase in one, James Bond style. It's really true that the ending makes up a lot. It makes you forget some of the weaker points of the movie, although in the end "Shaft's Big Score!" is still nothing more than an average action-flick with one great, cool main character.A good movie featuring the classic character Shaft and some really great action.6/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/