OK, so we know by now that Samuel L. Jackson will virtually always play a bad mother-f---er (his wallet in "Pulp Fiction" even said that). That said, there was little in the "Shaft" remake that we wouldn't expect. John Shaft (Jackson) is a bad mother investigating some things and doesn't take crap from anyone. When the original was released, it was the height of the Black Power movement, and they wanted to show that black Americans were no longer gonna listen to The Man - think of it as a jab against Nixon.

Still, this one is pretty cool. Toni Collette doesn't really make as much of her role as she did in "The Sixth Sense", but she's pretty good. All in all, I recommend the original more, but this one is worth seeing. Any questions?

New York City police detective John Shaft (nephew of the original 1970s detective) goes on a personal mission to make sure the son of a real estate tycoon is brought to justice after a racially-motivated murder.

This was a strange film. First, there is no way to make "Shaft" without having the actual Shaft playing the character. However, Samuel L. Jackson is probably the only person who could have attempted to fill the role, so at least they cast as good as they could.

But the movie is strange in general because of Christian Bale's character. His racism is so over-the-top that it almost makes no sense. The movie seems forced. There is no doubt that racism is alive and well, but the examples here were so exaggerated it was almost comic. (In retrospect, I am glad it was Bale... always nice to see an A-lister doing something corny.)

In the world of unnecessary and often awful remakes, 2000's SHAFT shines through as a good example of what a remake should be: an updating of the previous story set successfully in modern times, with actors sufficient enough to equal the performances in the first film, and one with enough twists and turns to make it surprising and interesting. SHAFT does all of this, dispensing with the plot of the original movie to concentrate on an elaborate, labyrinthine tale of crazed, psychotic drug dealers, corrupt cops, and doughnut-chewing allies.

The sheer verve and enthusiasm which goes into the speedily-paced story reminds me instantly of LOCK, STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS and the energy rubs off on the viewer. Sure, the film is violent but the violence is deserved (aside from the opening murder) and the action is handled nicely and with plenty of style, including an excellent car stunt. The plot sits on the line between complex and muddled without going overboard on elaborate set-ups or contrived situations and the 'street level' atmosphere rubs off, creating a realistic movie you can really get into.

In the title role, Samuel L. Jackson shines and comes off more than adequately. Although he can never hope to attain the iconic status of original star Richard Roundtree (incidentally making a welcome cameo appearance as 'Uncle Shaft' this time around), he's certainly better than need be for what is essentially a popcorn movie, and the cast that supports him is also great. In particular, kudos to Jeffrey Wright, who fits the role of his slimy drug dealer character so well that actor and character are indistinguishable (witness my surprise to see him out-of-character in a documentary, softly-spoken and 180 degrees from the character he portrays in the movie) and Christian Bale, reprising his American PSYCHO shtick as a cold-blooded bad guy you love to hate and doing very well with it. The female support is also strong, with Vanessa Williams proving her worth as a sassy female cop - a little underused however - and Australia's Toni Collette utterly believable as the harassed female witness. Busta Rhymes also joins LL Cool J as a rapper who is mildly amusing in the movies. Finally, the revamped Isaac Hayes music is back and as hummable as ever, rounding off what is a thoroughly involving slick action picture.