"Shaft" isn't the first film to come to mind when you think of great 70's flicks, but anyone who watches this one can't help but love it. It's timeless, relevant, and flat out awesome.
You can see how Gordon Parks influenced modern filmmakers like Spike Lee and F. Gary Gray with "Shaft." Up until 1971, there weren't many films by black filmmakers with a primarily black cast, as the effects of the Civil Rights movement were still being felt. Martin Luther King died in 1968, but he lived on in his efforts for social justice and equality. That war is still being fought today. "Shaft" was really important in that sense, as there wasn't really a black presence in Hollywood. It's not a perfect film, but you can't understate the social importance of it.