Shaft in Africa (1973)

The third installment of the Shaft series, Shaft in Africa (1973), is an American blaxploitation film directed by John Guillermin. In his New York City apartment, protagonist John Shaft is drugged and taken against his will to Africa. He is forced to take on a new identity as an itinerant worker who speaks the local language in order to help take down a criminal organization that is smuggling immigrants into Europe and exploiting them. However, the villains are already aware of his arrival.

Shaft successfully passes a grueling test as part of the hiring process – enduring extreme heat and sand-covered floors in a small room, simulating the harsh conditions of Africa. He impresses his potential employer by cleverly using the sand as protection from heatstroke, ultimately securing the job. His next assignment? Infiltrating and dismantling a human trafficking and slavery operation spanning Africa and France.