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Naturally eager to avenge his son's death and continue the good work started by him, Ramila requires a replacement. The problem is that he can't use anyone from home because all of his employees are known to Amafi, yet the infiltrator must be able to pass himself off as a tribesman. Thus, one pleasant morning, John Shaft (Richard Roundtree) returns from jogging to find the immovable object of Osiat (Frank McRae) waiting for him. Unwilling to take no for an answer, Ramila has Shaft kidnapped and brought to his residence. Concerned as to Shaft's suitability, Ramila confronts his captive with a number of obstacles and observes his reaction. Satisfied by what he sees, Ramila invites Shaft to be his friend, introducing him to his daughter Aleme (Vonetta McGee) and confident Wassa (Debebe Eshetu).
Lured by a substantial cash incentive, Shaft agrees to investigate Amafi by becoming a slave and observing from the inside. With intensive training he turns into a passable native, no doubt aided by the erotic attention of Aleme. So, ready for his challenge, Shaft is packed off to Addis Ababa and decked out in the local fashion. Unfortunately, it seems that Amafi has got wind of his journey, judging by the assassination attempts. However, while this might scupper the plans of a lesser man, Shaft ploughs ahead and keeps his wits about him. It's now a race between Shaft and Amafi; either the former gathers enough evidence to put Amafi away or the latter's henchmen manage to overpower Shaft. The stakes certainly couldn't be higher with the fate of thousands hanging in the balance.
Leaning heavily on Shaft's earlier escapades, Shaft in Africa plucks the detective from familiar surroundings. By taking him essentially back to his roots, Stirling Silliphant (the screenwriter) assumes that Shaft's character is known to the audience. Thus his reactions and attitude are the constants that remain throughout, no matter what else happens. Unfortunately, while Roundtree gets to do some of the most interesting work that he's ever done, the rest of the film isn't up to his standard. The storyline has Shaft spend an inordinate amount of time in Ethiopia, which admittedly looks fabulous, without really achieving anything. Even more curiously, despite the fairly positive depiction of native Africans, the locals don't get much of a look in when solid acting is required. The end result is somewhat uninvolving and dull, more a travel show spiced with violence than an engrossing blaxploitation picture.
While Roundtree gets to reprise his infamous role, ably playing off of Shaft's fabled sexual prowess, he is the only cast member to make a significant impact. This is partly the fault of Shaft in Africa's script, which makes no attempt to sketch solid roles, and partly a result of the no-hope cast. On the side of the good guys, Grant and (double-crossing) Eshetu do what is asked of them but no more. From the many illegal labourers that Shaft gets mixed up with, there are a few that he favours but even these supporting roles don't have any distinguishing features to explain his choice. The head villain Finlay is a little more interesting, with some personal oddities to his name, though he hardly provides much of a challenge for Shaft. As for the women, prone to fall for Shaft's magnificence, they have no depth and none should be expected!
In some ways John Guillermin may have been a bit ahead of his time with Shaft in Africa, attempting to take an audience used to gritty, urban dramas off to the savannah. This is, however, no excuse for making a lifeless movie out of a poor script. Shaft suffers a paucity of interesting lines, which even then come across as anaemic, so it should be clear how badly served the remainder of the cast is. The fact is that pleasant locations and a known star do not a classic film make, especially when the director is merely competent. With the compounded insult of a near-invisible soundtrack, Shaft in Africa is simply not a very good film and a sad way to round off the trilogy.
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