Shaft in Africa (opens in a new tab) is the final entry in the trilogy of films featuring Blaxploitation (opens in a new tab) hero Shaft (Richard Roundtree (opens in a new tab)). This time the eponymous detective is kidnapped from his New York apartment and coerced into assuming the identity of a native-speaking itinerant worker. His ’employer’ wants Shaft to smash a human trafficking ring, run by the dastardly Amafi (Frank Finlay (opens in a new tab)), that’s bringing African workers into Europe to exploit them. Much more of an adventure film than the previous two entries, which were pretty much entirely set in urban areas, this film was actually shot on location in Ethiopia and has less of a blaxploitation feel and more of a James Bond-style action style. Gordon Parks, the director of the previous entries, was replaced by the British director John Guillermin (opens in a new tab) who would helm the box-office smash The Towering Inferno the following year.

The all-action artwork on this 30×40 posteris by the American artist John Solie who has been working as an illustrator for over 40 years. Film posters are just one aspect of his output, which also includes book and magazine covers, sculptures, portraits and work for NASA. He continues to paint today in Tucson, Arizona. Another gallery of his work can be viewed on American Pulps (opens in a new tab) and another one is on Cinematerial (opens in a new tab). IMPAwards also showcases many of his film posters (opens in a new tab).

See the posters by John Solie I have collected to date.

You can view the trailer on YouTube (opens in a new tab).