Shaft (1971 film)

Shaft is a 1971 blaxploitation film which tells the story of a detective, John Shaft, who travels through Harlem and to the Italian mob in order to find the missing daughter of a black mobster. It stars Richard Roundtree, Moses Gunn, Charles Cioffi, Christopher St. John, Gwenn Mitchell, and Lawrence Pressman. The movie was adapted by Ernest Tidyman and John D. F. Black from the novel by Tidyman. It was directed by Gordon Parks.

Dialogue

Ellie: You got problems, baby?

Shaft Yeah, I got a couple of 'em. I was born black and I was born poor.

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Lt. Androzzi Where you going?

Shaft: To get laid — where the hell you going?

Theme song

Isaac Hayes: Who's the black private dick / That's a sex machine to all the chicks?

Chorus: Shaft!

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Isaac Hayes: You see this cat Shaft is a bad mother—

Chorus: Shut your mouth!

Isaac Hayes: But I'm talkin' about Shaft!

Chorus: Then we can dig it.