Shaft is one my favourite movies of all time. It's far more than a brilliant soundtrack. It's full of goodies all the way through, especially the slick dialogue. (Such as the gangster who always answers his phone: "Wrong number".)
Yes, it has a lot of racial themes, and race is one my least favourite subjects (because it's been weaponized in the way it has been). But the movie is from the "Black is Beautiful" era, which is at least a positive approach. The film is also gloriously un-PC, even for a time long before PC.
Most of all, I love the look and atmosphere of the film. It's so deliciously seedy, run-down, ramshackle, and streetwise. (The opening montage of Tradings Places is another great evocation of this atmosphere-- which I don't find at all unpleasant or even unpoetic.)
Although there's far more to this film than the famous opening scene, how could I not choose the opening scene? Isaac Hayes's theme might be the greatest opening credits theme of any film ever. And John Shaft's swagger as he makes his way to his office, through a panorama of the American seventies, is beautiful. I've several times listened to this music as I walked into work. (I never use headphones when I'm moving about, so everyone I pass hears it, too.)
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