Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

Shaft (2019)

This is such fun! Shaft is a film I was very much looking forward to for the reason that regardless of what it is Samuel L. Jackson is always so damn entertaining to watch onscreen this is a sequel to the 2000 remake and I will be honest I have not seen the 1971 original or the 2000 remake but I think this film is actually a perfect introduction to the franchise if you haven’t seen any of the past instalments. As it is not required to see the other ones in order to enjoy this film as it really does stand on its own and yes it does bring characters from the previous instalments but for the most of it Shaft (2019) does its own thing as Samuel L Jackson gives a damn fun performance that is hilarious and badass all wrapped into one. It brings the heart the humour and the fully loaded action to enjoy. 

First Off, Samuel L Jackson demands every scene he’s in with his phenomenal onscreen presence as he delivers one of his funniest performances I’ve ever seen him give onscreen. He made me laugh my ass off in 2017’s Hitmans Bodyguard and he really showed his fantastic comedic timing in that film he brings that same style of humour and wit from that film to this film in tremendous style. He Has amazing timing for his comedic moments and they land every time because he knew when was the right time to toss a joke into the scene and when to pull back. Samuel also shows a great length of layers through his performance you don’t expect that does hit an emotional level that is incredibly effective. The supporting cast involved all contribute great performances as well especially Regina Hall who gives a hilarious and dramatic supporting performance that is so well presented onscreen. 

Secondly, The film has a great amount of heart that shockingly works. Why I say that is because in this sort of film that is an action flick you don’t really get emotional punches now occasionally you do with films like Logan, The Departed and Drive. Just to name a few I’m not saying that it’s shocking that Action films are starting to inject emotional depth into their films because it has been done before I know that but I’ve never seen Samuel L Jackson do it in any of his films ever. And what’s great about this film is that it’s never one sided it uses comedic elements throughout the entire film but as mentioned before it knew when to pull back and show the smaller more intimate and emotional aspects of the story that is equally as effective as the comedy is. And that is a great benefit this film has is being able to be more then just your typical action flick but actually have depth to it that isn’t just their for the sake of it but be able to wove it into the narrative and make it really work and it does due to the great performances given by the cast and their fantastic range as actors. This film had more heart then I anticipated and I love that as it made it a breath of fresh air compared to some other action films I’ve seen this year. 

Lastly, Shaft (2019) works on so many levels as it achieves a fantastic action flick while also balancing other tones that are as effective as the action is while giving a damn fun performance led by Samuel L Jackson and also respects the films that came before it while having so much fun and giving the audience a great time and that’s what this film is to me a damn good time to be had. It’s definitely one of the best films I’ve seen this month and probably one of the best action films I’ve seen all year I had a blast watching it and I would definitely see it again I highly recommend people check out this film. 

Rated R : for pervasive language, violence, sexual content, some drug material and brief nudity

This film is a direct sequel to the 2000 remake of the same name this time when Shaft puts his family in danger he vows he would never again do so and so he distances himself from his son and when something tragic falls upon his son his son calls for his help 

Samuel L Jackson : Samuel gives a freaking hilarious performance here! Samuel is one of those actors regardless of the subject or plot of the film I know he’ll be great in it because he always is such fun to watch and is so charismatic and you can’t help but smile when you see him onscreen and here he gives another fun filled performance that is so well acted by Samuel. He reprises the title character and he has that edge and intimation he always carries with him but he also brings a great bit of comedic wit to the character that is greatly shown by him in this film. Since it’s a sequel he knows the character and the mindset of the character as well and so here he brings the action hero quality of the character while also being able to serve up some hilarious moments as well. What I was most surprised with was his amount of emotional depth he brought to his performance as he steps up to the challenge of doing it and does it incredibly well and that’s a massive part of why you enjoy his performance here so much is the depth he brings as usually Samuel brings the action star persona every time but very rarely does he bring a emotional depth to the character too as I’m not saying his characters are one note characters but usually he just injects them with a badass quality and comedy and that’s what we’ve come to expect from the Pulp Fiction Actor. So I was pleasantly surprised and delighted to see him bring such heart and a emotional openness we haven’t seen from Samuel before and it’s greatly shown as he has impeccable timing and knows when to switch things up as here he can be a total badass and be so charming with a wink in his eye and then the next have the great comedic delivery and the impact of the emotion he steps his game up with his work in this film as it’s definitely one of my favourite performances he’s given in recent memory. He brings such life to the dialogue written for his character and makes it seem so genuine and hilarious Samuel L Jackson does a great job at expanding upon the character and also having a great time onscreen as you can tell Samuel L. Jackson again gives another fun filled entertaining performance that will have you thoroughly entertained. 

Regina Hall : Regina gives a hilarious supporting turn in this film! Regina is one of the funniest actress in Hollywood and here she gives a great contribution to the film with her fantastic onscreen performance. She isn’t in the film as much as I thought she would but when she is onscreen she’s such a delight to watch as she’s able to mix great emotional tones of dramatic weight and also comedic that both mix so well together and result in such a entertaining performance to watch. As she can bring the emotional barring of a concerned mother and show great serious moments and then she can also be hilariously entertaining the next and that’s all due to her great timing and range as an actor. She goes toe to toe with Samuel and it makes for fantastic moments in the film as Regina gives a truly fun performance that I hope does not go unnoticed as she does contribute a great deal to why this film is such a fun time. 

Tim Story : Tim gives his best directed film since Think Like A Man. Tim has been a Director that has hits and misses as he missed with 2004’s Fantastic Four but hit with Think Like A Man and Ride Along 2. So it’s very 50/50 with his films and this one is definitely a hit as he gives such a fun filled time to be had with this film. He brings the established name of Shaft back and he doesn’t shun out the films that came before it he ha homages and callbacks to the previous films and even some great character returns to that work greatly. On top of that he gives full throttle action with a mixture of fantasticly well timed comedy that lands so well due to the credit of its wonderful cast and also the great writing by the writers on this film. He brings so many layers to this film as it is achieves the action you want it gives you the great laughs and he gives a emotional punch as well he brings it all and he makes it work so well. As he gets great performances from his cast and doesn’t try to take itself to seriously but truly have fun with the story at hand and I love that approach he brought to the source material. See Tim can be a great filmmaker when he wants to be as this film shows his fantastic style on this film that jells so well with the film and he delivers a fun time to be had with a sequel that lives up to its predecessor’s while not leaning on the other films and reusing the same story that’s already been told but go in a direction it’s not gone before and make it work so well. Tim sticks the landing with his great work on the newest Shaft film and delivers a well rounded film with a whole lotta heart humour and action.