“Shaft” – This Y2K take on vigilante hero John Shaft is zippier than the 1970s version but doesn’t live up to its potential. Samuel L. Jackson looks cool in a trenchcoat, Jeffrey Wright and Christian Bale steal scenes as a crime lord and rich racist, and the music is catchy. However, viewers looking for a deep character study or coherent plot will feel shafted. The central theme – that the justice system is too messed up to handle big-city corruption, leading Shaft to toe this line between good and evil – is unfortunately glossed over. B-
– John Hansen, NDSU Spectrum, Sept. 8, 2000