Shaft in Africa Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

Shaft in Africa Blu-ray Movie Review

Speak loudly and carry a big stick.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III May 17, 2019

Gordon Parks’ 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. Its first sequel, Shaft’s Big Score!, was rushed to theaters less than a year later with a budget roughly four times that of the original. His journey continues with this second sequel Shaft In Africa, likewise released in June the following year but to diminishing returns: it was the highest-budgeted Shaft film and didn’t score with fans at the box office. Maybe I'm in the minority, but I think Shaft In Africa is a slightly more satisfying film than its predecessor, mainly for its willingness to take bigger risks with the source material which extend far beyond a simple change of scenery.

Obviously though, that’s the most noticeable difference here: Shaft is no longer in his comfort zone, as the sun-baked African landscape stands in sharp contrast with the grim and gritty streets of Harlem. Our hero has been reluctantly recruited by diplomat Emir Ramila (Cy Grant), whose son was killed overseas while investigating a slave ring headed by Vincent Amafi (Frank Finlay). Shaft’s reputation as a resourceful, skilled detective -- and of course, his appearance -- make him an ideal replacement...but he seems more interested in Emir’s daughter Aleme (Vonetta McGee), who will serve as dialect coach and probably one more notch in ol’ Shaft’s bedpost. (Both are completed in record time.) But it still won’t be an easy job, especially since Shaft is dropped in Addis Ababa with little more than basic supplies, a few unlikely friends, an incredibly ineffective bodyguard, and assassins gunning for him at every turn.

Simply put, Shaft In Africa has no right to be any good. It’s got a lot working against it: the total location transplant, a different director, all-new supporting characters, its name, and the fact that this is the third installment of a franchise. Yet it works more often than not, and mostly for good reasons: the change of pace goes a long way towards making it memorable, its core story is engaging and appropriate as a global extension of our hero's M.O., and there are twists and turns around almost every corner. Don't get me wrong: Shaft In Africa shares the somewhat inflated ambitions of Shaft's Big Score, our hero seems almost comically overpowered at times, and a lot of the violence is so bloody that it's almost a turn-off. The film’s dismal box office returns -- not to mention the fact that Shaft was frantically sold as a TV series several months later, which was cancelled after just seven episodes -- would suggest the franchise was out of gas by 1973. That's still up for debate, but clearly the formula of "release a new and different installment every 12 months" just didn't pay off in the long run. I still enjoy Shaft In Africa while admitting it's not for everyone.

Warner Archive Collection serves up Shaft In Africa in two separate Blu-ray options: as a stand-alone release and as part of the compact and modestly-priced Shaft Triple Feature, which also includes the original 1971 film and its less effective first sequel, 1972’s Shaft's Big Score. Both options feature a top-notch A/V presentation but very few extras, although I can’t imagine that even the most casual fan would buy these movies one at a time.

Shaft in Africa Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Not surprisingly, Shaft In Africa is the best-looking of the three: not only did it have a higher budget than both predecessors, but much of it was shot outdoors on location in Ethiopia. It wouldn't surprise me if different film stock was used here: Shaft In Africa isn't as grainy as Big Score and (obviously) the first film but still retains a stable, film-like appearance that hasn't been slathered in noise reduction or other processing techniques. Like the previous entry, it appears to be a new 2K scan of a high-quality interpositive that's been thoroughly cleaned of dirt and debris and encoded at a very high bit-rate on a dual-layered disc. The level of fine detail is, not surprisingly, through the roof in most cases: textures are quite strong, close-ups look outstanding, and wide shots reveal a solid amount of background detail. Contrast and black levels are right on target, and the film's natural color palette looks very accurate and well-saturated. Indoor and nighttime scenes hold up nicely as well; these are typically well-lit and do not suffer from pronounced black crush, flicker, or other common defects. Overall, Shaft In Africa is simply a great-looking film that's been treated with extreme care, and that's about the best we can hope for in a catalog title.

Shaft in Africa Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Similarly, the DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix replicates Shaft In Africa's source material very well. Dialogue is typically crisp and clear, volume levels remain stable and there aren't many dips in overall fidelity along the way (and even those can be chalked up to source material issues). The original score by Johnny Pate -- the series' third different composer after Isaac Hayes and director Gordon Parks -- sounds well-balanced and dynamic, as does the excellent Four Tops main theme "Are You Man Enough". Its vast outdoor locales give this a much different overall feel than earlier Shaft films (no surprise there), with a less claustrophobic feeling that even achieves a modest level of depth at times. Shaft In Africa wouldn't be confused with a newer film, but sounds quite impressive for its age.

Optional English SDH subtitles are included during the main feature…but like most recent WAC Blu-rays, are formatted in ALL CAPS. One day, my constant complaining will be seen by the right person.

Shaft in Africa Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Theatrical Trailer (3:01) - "The Brother Man in the Motherland". This classic trailer still looks to be in pretty rough condition but has been re-encoded at a higher bit rate than the one on Warner Bros.' 2012 Blu-ray.

Shaft in Africa Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As a franchise, Shaft caught on almost immediately but didn't stick around for long: the original film and its sequel performed well at the box office in 1971 and 1972, but this third installment -- not to mention a short-lived TV series -- weren't as warmly received the following year. It's a shame, too: Shaft In Africa is still wildly entertaining more often than not, mainly for its willingness to take risks with the source material. Though not without a few obvious flaws, it's a fun ride and, in my opinion, holds up a little better than the first sequel -- maybe even the original, on the right day. Still, Shaft's In Africa is so far removed from the series' humble origins that it's almost a completely different beast altogether, so I wouldn't blame anyone for thinking differently. Either way, it's an interesting send-off to a memorable trilogy and Warner Archive Collection's Blu-ray serves up another top-notch A/V presentation that plays to the film's strengths. Although Shaft's In Africa is clearly a solid enough film and Blu-ray to recommend on its own, WAC's separate Shaft Triple Feature is the way to go for die-hard fans and newcomers alike.