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Tag: shafts-big-score

  • Best Richard Roundtree Movies

    2019 'Shaft's Richard Roundtree.
    2019 ‘Shaft’s Richard Roundtree.

    Legendary actor and Hollywood icon Richard Roundtree passed away in 2023 after a long battle with cancer at the age of 81.

    Best known for playing the iconic character John Shaft in five movies including the original ‘Shaft‘ and the 2000 reboot starring Samuel L. Jackson, Roundtree also appeared in the groundbreaking TV series ‘Roots‘, as well as popular movies like ‘Earthquake‘, ‘Se7en‘, ‘George of the Jungle‘, ‘Brick‘, and ‘Speed Racer‘.

    Roundtree’s final film is the action-comedy ‘Thelma,’ which also stars Oscar-nominee June Squibb and opens in theaters on June 21st. Roundtree’s final performance is already earning the late actor some of the best reviews of his long career.

    In honor of ‘Thelma’s release, Moviefone is counting down the 20 best movies of Richard Roundtree’s legendary career, including his last.

    Let’s begin!

    20. ‘Corky Romano‘ (2001)

    Peter Berg, Chris Penn and Chris Kattan in 'Corky Romano'.
    (L to R) Peter Berg, Chris Penn and Chris Kattan in ‘Corky Romano’. Photo: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution.

    Corky Romano (Chris Kattan) is a bumbling, simpleton, veterinarian and the youngest, outcast son of an aging gangster, named Pops Romano (Peter Falk), who calls upon Corky to infiltrate the local FBI and retrieve and destroy evidence being used to incriminate Pops for racketeering charges.

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    19. ‘Steel‘ (1997)

    When a renegade military reject puts new superweapons in dangerous hands, John Henry Irons (Shaquille O’Neal) becomes Steel. Wearing body armor, wielding a fearsome electrohammer and riding a gadget-packed motorcycle, he’s ready to wage war… if he can fix the untimely glitches in his untested gear.

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    18. ‘Man Friday‘ (1975)

    Englishman Robinson Crusoe (Peter O’Toole), stranded alone on an island for years, is overjoyed to find a fellow man, a black islander whom he names Friday (Roundtree). But Crusoe cannot overcome the shackles of his own heritage and upbringing and is incapable of seeing Friday as anything other than a savage who needs Crusoe’s brand of cultural and religious enlightenment. Friday attempts to share his own more generous and unashamed culture, but ultimately realizes that Crusoe can never see him as anything but an inferior being. With that awareness, Friday sets out to turn the tables on Crusoe.

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    17. ‘George of the Jungle‘ (1997)

    Deep in the African jungle, a baby named George (Brendan Fraser), the sole survivor of a plane crash, is raised by gorillas. George grows up to be a buff and lovable klutz who has a rain forest full of animal friends: Tookie, his big-beaked toucan messenger; Ape, a witty talking gorilla; and Shep, a peanut-loving pooch of an elephant. But when poachers mess with George’s pals, the King Of Swing swings into action.

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    16. ‘Escape to Athena‘ (1979)

    During the World War II, the prisoners of a German camp in a Greek island are trying to escape. They not only want their freedom, but also seek an ineffable treasure hidden in a monastery at the summit of the island’s mountain.

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    15. ‘Shaft‘ (2019)

    Samuel L. Jackson and Richard Roundtree in 2019's 'Shaft'.
    (L to R) Samuel L. Jackson and Richard Roundtree in 2019’s ‘Shaft’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.

    JJ, aka John Shaft Jr. (Jessie T. Usher), may be a cyber security expert with a degree from MIT, but to uncover the truth behind his best friend’s untimely death, he needs an education only his dad can provide. Absent throughout JJ’s youth, the legendary locked-and-loaded John Shaft (Samuel L. Jackson) agrees to help his progeny navigate Harlem’s heroin-infested underbelly.

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    14. ‘What Men Want‘ (2019)

    Magically able to hear what men are thinking, a sports agent (Taraji P. Henson) uses her newfound ability to turn the tables on her overbearing male colleagues.

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    13. ‘Game for Vultures‘ (1980)

    The South African businessman David Swansey (Richard Harris) is delivering illegal German helicopters to Rhodesia That makes the patriot Gideon Marunga (Roundtree) an angry man.

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    12. ‘Earthquake‘ (1974)

    Various interconnected people struggle to survive when an earthquake of unimaginable magnitude hits Los Angeles, California.

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    11. ‘Maniac Cop‘ (1988)

    Innocent people are brutally killed on the streets of New York by a uniformed police officer. A young cop, Jack Forrest (Bruce Campbell), finds himself marked as the chief suspect after his wife is murdered.

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    10. ‘Shaft’s Big Score!‘ (1972)

    Richard Roundtree in 'Shaft's Big Score!'.
    Richard Roundtree in ‘Shaft’s Big Score!’. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

    John Shaft (Roundtree) is back as the lady-loved black detective cop on the search for the murderer of a client.

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    9. ‘City Heat‘ (1984)

    Burt Reynolds and Clint Eastwood in 'City Heat'.
    (L to R) Burt Reynolds and Clint Eastwood in ‘City Heat’. Photo: Warner Bros.

    Set in Kansas City in 1933, Clint Eastwood plays a police lieutenant known simply by his last name, Speer. Burt Reynolds plays a former cop turned private eye named Mike Murphy. Both Speer and Murphy served on the force together and were once good friends, but are now bitter enemies. When Murphy’s partner is slain they team up again to fight the mob.

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    8. ‘Moving On‘ (2023)

    Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda star in director Paul Weitz's 'Moving On.'
    (L to R) Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda star in director Paul Weitz’s ‘Moving On.’

    Two old friends (Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin) reconnect at their friend’s funeral, and decide to exact revenge on the widower who wronged all three of them decades earlier.

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    7. ‘Shaft in Africa‘ (1973)

    Richard Roundtree in 'Shaft in Africa'.
    (Right) Richard Roundtree in ‘Shaft in Africa’. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

    Detective John Shaft (Roundtree) travels incognito to Ethiopia then France to bust a human trafficking ring

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    6. ‘Speed Racer‘ (2008)

    Christina Ricci, Susan Sarandon, John Goodman, Kick Gurry and Emile Hirsch in 'Speed Racer'.
    (L to R) Christina Ricci, Susan Sarandon, John Goodman, Kick Gurry and Emile Hirsch in ‘Speed Racer’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.

    Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) is a young and brilliant racing driver. When corruption in the racing leagues costs his brother his life, Speed must team up with the police and the mysterious Racer X (Matthew Fox) to bring an end to the corruption and criminal activities.

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    5. ‘Shaft‘ (2000)

    Samuel L. Jackson and Jeffrey Wright in 2000's 'Shaft'.
    (L to R) Samuel L. Jackson and Jeffrey Wright in 2000’s ‘Shaft’. Photo: Paramount Pictures.

    New York police detective John Shaft (Samuel L. Jackson) arrests Walter Wade Jr. (Christian Bale) for a racially motivated slaying. But the only eyewitness disappears, and Wade jumps bail for Switzerland. Two years later Wade returns to face trial, confident his money and influence will get him acquitted — especially since he’s paid a drug kingpin (Jeffrey Wright) to kill the witness.

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    4. ‘Brick‘ (2005)

    Joseph Gordon-Levitt in 'Brick'.
    (Left) Joseph Gordon-Levitt in ‘Brick’. Photo: Focus Features.

    After a phone call from his ex-girlfriend (Emilie de Ravin), teenage loner Brendan Frye (Joseph Godron-Levitt) learns that her dead body was found. Vowing to solve her murder himself, he must infiltrate high-school cliques that he previously avoided. His search for the truth brings him before some of the school’s roughest characters.

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    3. ‘Se7en‘ (1995)

    Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman in 'Se7en'.
    (L to R) Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman in ‘Se7en’. Photo: New Line Cinema.

    Two homicide detectives are on a desperate hunt for a serial killer whose crimes are based on the “seven deadly sins” in this dark and haunting film that takes viewers from the tortured remains of one victim to the next. The seasoned Det. Sommerset (Morgan Freeman) researches each sin in an effort to get inside the killer’s mind, while his novice partner, Mills (Brad Pitt), scoffs at his efforts to unravel the case.

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    2. ‘Thelma‘ (2024)

    Richard Roundtree and June Squibb in 'Thelma', a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.
    (L to R) Richard Roundtree and June Squibb in ‘Thelma’, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

    Deceived by a phone scammer pretending to be her grandson, a 90-year-old woman (June Squibb) sets out on a quest to reclaim what was taken from her.

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    1. ‘Shaft‘ (1971)

    Richard Roundtree in 1971's 'Shaft'.
    Richard Roundtree in 1971’s ‘Shaft’. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

    Cool black private eye John Shaft (Roundtree) is hired by a crime lord to find and retrieve his kidnapped daughter.

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  • ‘Shaft’ Actor Richard Roundtree is Dead At 81

    'Shaft's Samuel L. Jackson, Jessie T. Usher and Richard Roundtree.
    (L to R) ‘Shaft’s Samuel L. Jackson, Jessie T. Usher and Richard Roundtree.

    Preview

    • Actor Richard Roundtree, best remembered for playing detective John Shaft, has died.
    • Roundtree was 81 and had been suffering from pancreatic cancer.
    • Co-stars and those influenced by him have paid tribute to his memorable work.

    Actor Richard Roundtree, who will be forever linked to cult movie detective John Shaft from 1971’s ‘Shaft,’ has died. He was 81.

    Roundtree, a famous breast cancer survivor, was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and died surrounded by family at his bedside.

    His agency, and manager Patrick McMinn, released a statement about his death:

    “Artists & Representatives Agency mourns the loss of our friend and client Richard Roundtree. His trailblazing career changed the face of entertainment around the globe and his enduring legacy will be felt for generations to come. Our hearts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time.”

    “Trailblazing” is as good a term as any for Roundtree, who portrayed the first Black private detective on screen. Yet while he’ll most closely be identified with his Blaxploitation career and particularly the iconic Shaft character, the actor enjoyed a long run of work on screens big and small.

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    Early life

    Richard Roundtree as John Shaft in 1971's 'Shaft.'
    Richard Roundtree as John Shaft in 1971’s ‘Shaft.’ Photo: MGM.

    Richard Roundtree was born in New Rochelle, New York, played football for Southern Illinois University and did some modeling before the acting bug bit.

    He was drawn to theater and joined New York’s acclaimed Negro Ensemble Company, then starred as Jack Johnson in ‘The Great White Hope’ off-Broadway before the role of John Shaft presented itself –– a lucky break secured after Sidney Poitier refused to screen test for the role, leading director Gordon Parks to cast Roundtree instead.

    The role of John Shaft, the “hotter than Bond, cooler than Bullitt” private detective, changed Roundtree’s life and the course of Hollywood by introducing him as an unapologetic protagonist and subterranean fighter of crime.

    He went on to play the role in the sequels ‘Shaft’s Big Score!’ and ‘Shaft in Africa’ as well as the short-lived 1973 ‘Shaft’ TV series.

    The actor’s many film credits include 1981’s ‘Inchon’, ‘City Heat‘ (1984) as well as ‘Se7en’, ‘George of the Jungle’, ‘Body of Influence’, ‘Amityville: A New Generation’, and ‘What Men Want’. He was last seen in Paul Weitz’s comedy ‘Moving On’.

    Related Article: Suzanne Somers of ‘Three’s Company’ and ‘Step By Step’ Dies At Age 76

    TV roles

    Leslie Uggams and Rochard Roundtree in 'Roots.'
    (L to R) Leslie Uggams and Richard Roundtree in ‘Roots.’ Photo: Warner Bros Television.

    On the small screen, Roundtree had one of his best opportunities in the breakthrough miniseries ‘Roots’, playing a handsome, well-groomed carriage driver with whom Kizzy (Leslie Uggams) falls in love until she sees that when the master (George Hamilton) calls, Roundtree grovels.

    Roundtree starred in the miniseries ‘AD’ and had a supporting role in the series ‘Outlaws’ (CBS, 1986-1987) as Ice McAdams. He was part of the cast of the short-lived multi-racial NBC daytime drama ‘Generations,’ playing a doctor forced to live in hiding for 15 years for a murder he did not commit. He also appeared in a number of sitcoms and other series, including ‘Being Mary Jane’.

    Tributes from co-stars

    'Shaft's Richard Roundtree.
    ‘Shaft’s Richard Roundtree.

    Roundtree reprised his most famous role in the 2000 John Singleton movie ‘Shaft’, starring Samuel L. Jackson, and the 2019 Tim Story-directed sequel.

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    Jackson took to Instagram to pay tribute:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CyzcJOspbAT/

     

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    Gabrielle Union, who worked with Roundtree in ‘Being Mary Jane’, tweeted her own tribute:

     

    Richard Roundtree as John Shaft in 1971's 'Shaft.'
    Richard Roundtree as John Shaft in 1971’s ‘Shaft.’ Photo: MGM.

    Richard Roundtree Movies:

    Buy Richard Roundtree Movies On Amazon

    To watch our exclusive interviews with Samuel L. Jackson, Jessie T. Usher and Richard Roundtree about 2019’s ‘Shaft,’ please click on the video player below.

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