| Users | 4.0 | |
| Reviewer | 4.0 | |
| Overall | 4.0 |
When Harlem P.I. John Shaft first appeared on the movie scene, he was a "shut your mouth" detective to reckon with, a fact underscored by Isaac Hayes' Oscar®-winning* Best Original Song (1971). Richard Roundtree plays the hard-hitting, street-smart title role in these signature "blaxploitation" films, hunting for a kidnap victim in Shaft (1971) and seeking a friend's murderer in Shaft's Big Score! - mixing it up with mob thugs each time. Finally, there's Shaft in Africa ("He's the Brother Man in the Motherland," proclaimed ads), with our hero bringing down a slavery cartel. Shaft's the name. Excitement's the game!
| Drama | 100% |
| Crime | 65% |
| Film-Noir | 47% |
| Mystery | 4% |
| Adventure | Insignificant |
| Thriller | Insignificant |
| Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1, 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1, 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
French: Dolby Digital 2.0
German: Dolby Digital 2.0
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0
Foreign dubs on original "Shaft" only
English SDH, French, German SDH, Japanese, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (3 BDs)
Region free
| Movie | 3.5 | |
| Video | 4.5 | |
| Audio | 4.0 | |
| Extras | 2.0 | |
| Overall | 4.0 |
Gordon Park's original Shaft (1971), based on the 1970 detective novel by Ernest Tidyman, continued the momentum started by Melvin Van Peebles' Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song to cement the popularity of blaxploitation films. In addition to new stand-alone releases of theatrical sequels Shaft's Big Score! (1972) and Shaft In Africa (1973), Warner Archive Collection serves up a generous Triple Feature that also includes the original Shaft Blu-ray released by Warner Bros in 2012. It's a space-saving package that serves up plenty of action, excitement, and attitude for one low price and makes those stand-alone discs immediately redundant. Whether you're a true Shaft veteran or completely new to the franchise, this WAC Triple Feature makes it easy to get almost everything in one slimmed-down package.

For a synopsis of Shaft's Big Score!, read my review of WAC's separate release.
For a synopsis of Shaft In Africa, read my review of WAC's separate release.

For an evaluation of Shaft's video presentation, read Michael Reuben's review of the 2012 Warner Bros. Blu-ray.
For an evaluation of Shaft's Big Score!'s video presentation, read my review of WAC's separate release.
For an evaluation of Shaft In Africa's video presentation, read my review of WAC's separate release.

For an evaluation of Shaft's audio presentation, read Michael Reuben's review of the 2012 Warner Bros. Blu-ray.
For an evaluation of Shaft's Big Score!'s audio presentation, read my review of WAC's separate release.
For an evaluation of Shaft In Africa's audio presentation, read my review of WAC's separate release.

For an evaluation of Shaft's bonus features, read Michael Reuben's review of the 2012 Warner Bros. Blu-ray.
Please note that, while both Shaft's Big Score! and Shaft In Africa do not include any new extras, their respective theatrical trailers are repeated on each stand-alone disc. Although both trailers have been re-encoded on the new discs and enjoy a much higher bit rate, they do not appear to have received any additional restoration.

If you enjoy Gordon Park's original Shaft or either of its sequels, Warner Archive's new Triple Feature is an absolute no-brainer. All three movies look and sound about as good as they ever will and, although the bonus features are slim, there's still a solid amount of content here for the asking price. This is exactly the kind of quality, value-driven package that more catalog titles should get and earns a very high recommendation for fans and first-timers alike.