John Shaft's Advice for Veterans

"Shaft" (out now on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital) is a tongue-in-cheek reboot of the 1970s action picture series. Samuel L. Jackson returns from the 2000 action drama version, and the original Shaft, Richard Roundtree, is back as Jackson's father (instead of playing his uncle, as he did in the last version).

Shaft has a son named JJ (Jesse T. Usher) who he was not allowed to raise after the family was almost wiped out in a drug dealer ambush. JJ went to MIT and now works as a data analyst for the FBI.

The family reunites when JJ's childhood friend Karim is murdered in a crime set up to make it look like he overdosed. Karim had developed a drug addiction after his military service but turned his life around once he started working with a veteran addicts support group called "Brothers Watching Brothers."

When they hear that name, all the streetwise characters in the movie immediately conclude that there's a sexual connotation to the organization. As the middle Shaft repeatedly points out, those boys need a new name for their group.

As everyone who goes to the movies understands, war is an excellent cover for criminal activities, especially smuggling. You'll figure out who killed Karim and why at least an hour before the movie ends, so you'll have to get your entertainment from the interactions between three generations of Shaft.

Both grandpa and dad have remarkably unenlightened worldviews, and dad keeps dismissing JJ as a "soft millennial." Everyone has to kick some ass to solve the crime and find some intergenerational respect.

John Shaft wants you to know: Be careful when you choose a name for your military charity organization and don't be tempted to use your combat skills for evil once you're home.