As the picture opens, a racial crime has been committed in a New York nightclub. A young black man is dead on the sidewalk out front, his head bashed in. Renegade cop John Shaft shows up to investigate. The prime suspect appears to be Walter Wade (Christian Bale), the playboy son of a wealthy real estate tycoon. The only person who may have witnessed the crime is the club's bartender Diana (Toni Collette), but she refuses to give Shaft any information. Wade is arrested but posts bail. In anger, Shaft quits the force and sets out to bring Wade to justice on his own. In order to do that, though, he has to find Diana, who goes into hiding.

Meanwhile, Wade teams up with another of Shaft's enemies, a Hispanic drug dealer named "Peoples" ("because I take care of my peoples," he explains). The two have nothing in common - one's a privileged white boy, the other a street hoodlum - except for their hatred of Shaft. Eventually Wade hires Peoples to find and kill Diana. Shaft gets wind of this plan and tries to track Diana down before any harm can come to her.

Who's the black private dick who's a sex machine to all the chicks? It's Shaft, of course.

Director John Singleton (Boyz N the Hood) has long wanted to remake Shaft. He is smart enough to know what audiences will expect: most notably, lots of scenes in which the main character kicks butt and takes names. John Shaft is essentially a creation of urban coolness; he exists to handle things in the no-nonsense style our world seldom allows. The character is almost archetypal - the vigilante who cuts through red tape to deliver basic eye-for-an-eye justice. Certain scenes in this remake are designed solely to exemplify this idea. At one point, Shaft agrees to confront a gang member who has been luring a woman's young son into his fold. The punk is beaten mercilessly and threatened with even more grievous bodily harm if he goes near the kid again. Such moments are structured to play off the audience's frustration with the degradation of society.

That's a heavy load for an action picture to bear, but I think it works. Although I certainly do not subscribe to the film's vigilantism, it is admittedly cathartic to watch Shaft in action. In his flowing black leather coat and dark shades, he gives drug dealers, killers, and racists exactly what they deserve. And through it all, he manages to remain unfazed, dropping ultra-cool remarks left and right. (When one thug scoffs that Shaft is no longer a cop, he replies: "Do you think that makes me less dangerous or more dangerous?")

Jackson is the perfect choice for the role. Few actors have the intense presence that has become his trademark. Furthermore, Jackson is a consummate actor, able to bring layers of depth to the character. He's not just an angry cop trying to avenge a racially motivated killing; he's standing up for a value that exists to his very soul. As the villain, Christian Bale is a perfect match. Bale, who was so wicked in American Psycho, is the embodiment of hatred as Wade. He has a smarmy, narcissistic manner that makes you want to see Shaft break his face.

The word I keep using to describe this film is "cool." That's a deliberate repetition. The movie is an example of wish fulfillment. It asks, Wouldn't it be great to be this unflappable dude who always knows what to say and do to make things right? And it would be. I liked the performances in Shaft and also the manner in which the story develops. The way its central character plays his enemies off one another is inspired. Singleton also keeps the pace lively, packing his 100-minute movie with enough action to fill one twice as long. There is nothing artistically new or different about this remade Shaft, but it's a lot of fun in its own way - as a piece of pop culture coolness.

( 1/2 out of four)

Shaft is rated R for language and strong violence. The running time is 1 hour and 40 minutes.