Shaft · reception & legacy

How Shaft has been received, argued over, and remembered.

The arc

Dismissed by some in 1971 as pulpy 'blaxploitation,' it's now enshrined as a genre-defining landmark and a National Film Registry pick — the cool, self-possessed private eye who rewrote who got to be a Hollywood hero.

What's debated

The perennial fan debate: is Shaft a proud milestone of Black self-representation (Black director, Black hero, made by artists) or the film that kicked off the blaxploitation cycle critics accused of trading in stereotypes?

Its footprint

Isaac Hayes' wah-wah theme is one of the most recognizable pieces of music in film history — 'Who's the black private dick that's a sex machine to all the chicks?' / 'Shaft!' / 'Shut your mouth!' is quoted, sampled, and parodied endlessly.

Where it stands

A cornerstone cool-cinema 'you must have seen this' — beloved as much for its swagger, its wardrobe, and that score as for the movie itself.