Nearly every frame of Shaft is intent on doing one thing: establishing its hero – private detective John Shaft – as a powerful, independent, innately good yet still devilish man in complete control of his own destiny. How does this differ from the many screen heroes who came before? Well, Shaft is black. And this

A wolf in pimp’s clothing. Super Fly is a movie of surprising political bite and emotional nuance, considering it is usually discussed in terms of its outrageously flashy cars and clothes. The outfits are something – in his patterned, full-length jackets, star Ron O’Neal often looks like he’s wrapped up in a carpet – but

It’s a bit of a slow boil, but this 1943 melodrama eventually bubbles over with Bette Davis literally trying to shake some sense into Miriam Hopkins. Although that’s when things get really fun, this is actually fairly good throughout. Davis plays Kit Marlowe, a critically respected but commercially unreliable novelist who returns to her hometown