Continuity mistake: The thin man with greasy hair that draws Shaft's suspicion on the bus out of Addis Ababa, is shown with one arm on the back of the seat and one arm on his lap in close-ups, but he has his arms folded in the wider shot. (00:36:50)
Revealing mistake: In Maiberra, with the big trucks of the villains loudly traversing at top speed the roads, all the women by the road are facing the opposite direction instead, smiling, and some of them looking into the camera. (00:51:10)
Continuity mistake: When Shaft arrives in Addis Ababa, the first close-up on Richard Roundtree shows a man with a hat behind him. No men with hats are behind him in the opening shot of the plane ladder, nor the following. (00:31:05)
Audio problem: The slave recruiter in the village shoots Shaft and kills his bodyguard. The Luger gun he is using has a suppressor, but the noise it makes is the noise of a normal, not 'silenced' gun. (00:56:55)
Continuity mistake: When the protagonist dodges the machine gun fire in Amafi's office building, the desk in front of him has a lamp on it in the frontal views, but with the camera placed behind Shaft there is no lamp. (01:39:55)
Continuity mistake: When the Colonel proudly shows the stick and with a skillful hand motion covers the knob before offering it to Shaft, Richard Roundtree's hand is by the glass at first, close to his chest after. (00:34:25)
Continuity mistake: In the coastal town, Shaft gets bitten by Ziba to the point of bleeding the thick red goop that passes off as blood in the movie. However he is perfectly unharmed in the following scene. (01:12:30)
Continuity mistake: Shaft escapes from the brothel jumping out of a window. He is facing opposite directions in the two shots when it happens (he jumps facing the street and lands facing the building). (01:10:40)
Continuity mistake: Having received the Colonel's big knotty stick, Shaft is cupping his special pouch; you can see it turn around (look at the strings). (00:34:50)
Continuity mistake: When Aleme asks Shaft if he's disappointed she was not a virgin, her left hand is on his shoulder, or not, depending on the angle, throughout the conversation. (00:45:25)
Visible crew/equipment: When the camera moves in showing the dead short guy in drag killed in the toilet, on the toilet is the shadow of the moving camera. (00:29:24)
Continuity mistake: Amafi walks into the torture room; Oyo's head is turned in opposite directions as the camera cuts. (01:44:05)
Revealing mistake: Richard Roundtree is quite literally butt naked during his stick fight in the Emir's stable towards the beginning of the movie, except in one shot where the person in frame is wearing blue sweatpants. (00:12:50)
Continuity mistake: As Shaft is stick fighting in the stable, the Emir's attendant makes a comment about his penis (no, seriously, he does!). The man is leaning against the door with his hand positioned 3 different ways in 3 different shots. (00:13:00)
Factual error: Facing the mysterious fighter from Africa in his apartment, Shaft shoots him twice with no results. It is later revealed that he was wearing a bulletproof vest, but it's the overpowered movie kind: the guy doesn't suffer from the impact of the bullet in the slightest. Not just that: there's not a single hole or mark on his white robe in that scene. (00:08:40)
Continuity mistake: In the back of the limo at the beginning of the movie, the woman with Mr. Amafi blows cigar smoke in his face. She does so opening her mouth at the end of the first shot, but has her lip still puckered in the one that follows. (00:01:40)
