This movie was a bad idea, a real misfire. Taking the character John Shaft out of his New York City surroundings is like taking away Thor's hammer; it just doesn't work. This weak third entry of the series feels more like a parody than an official sequel. Shaft is kidnapped and finds himself in Africa where he is expected to break up a modern slave trading operation. No explanation as to why anyone would kidnap a NY Private Detective and place him in that setting, where he quickly adapts and accepts his situation and just starts kicking ass. The whole thing is ridiculous and insulting. The absence of director Gordon Parks is painfully apparent. This one is nothing like the the two earlier films. Even the cinematography, which one would expect to be good, given the exotic setting, is weak and mostly poor. It seems like changing the formula to a successful franchise is not a good idea. Another example of this kind of bad planning is the awful "Super Fly" sequel, "Super Fly TNT." it is depressing to see Richard Roundtree involved in a project that basically turns the iconic character into a joke. Fans of the original "Shaft" might want to skip this one; it's truly a silly waste of time.