Oscar Shaw review (2026)

February 19, 2026 Jeffrey Lyles Cecile Cubiló, Isaiah Washington, Jabari Striblin, Jeannette Josue, Michael Jai White, Oscar Shaw, Tyrese Gibson

Oscar Shaw confidently strolls at a leisurely pace like the filmmakers are treating it like a pilot for a TV series.

There’s no great sense of urgency to anything with Oscar Shaw, which leads to a hastily resolved final act that sharply contrasts with the rest of the film’s pacing.

Ironically, if Oscar Shaw were a TV show it would have progressed quicker eliminating some of the meandering time killing moments that only serve to stretch the film’s run time. At 93 minutes, it has patches where very little of consequence occurs. In 44 minutes — or 52 minutes if Oscar Shaw were in a streaming platform — it would serve as a welcome opening act for what seems like a decent way to binge eight or nine episodes.

Fortunately for everyone involved with Oscar Shaw, its lulls and too frequent bouts of inactivity are balanced out by yet another charismatic performance from Michael Jai White (Welcome to Sudden Death). White is an engaging performer who can make good material great and make borderline mediocre films watchable. Too often he’s found himself in the lifeguard role trying to salvage leaky films, but regardless of the quality, he always manages to stand above it.

This role finds White playing more of a philosophical version of Samuel L. Jackson’s Shaft minus the lothario nature. As Oscar Shaw, White is a suit-wearing laid back former police officer enjoying his forced early retirement.

His neighborhood could use a dedicated officer like him as it’s getting worse with heightened gang activity. The opening act kicks the film off with a convenience store owner getting murdered while his sister gets kidnapped by would-be traffickers. Oscar takes satisfaction in the little things — like going to the neighborhood bar run by his pal, Ernie (Isaiah Washington), and reminiscing on the good old days with his former partner Ray Jay (Tyrese Gibson).

Oscar is slightly worried when he spots Ray Jay carrying a weapon, which he claims is due to the rise of the gangs, but a shady new arrival in town might have him on edge. Screenwriter Don Roff casually tosses out subplots that could sustain a full TV season with no trouble. For a film that means some of them don’t actually get enough time to get properly developed and resolved.

Another one sees Oscar befriending, Andre (Jabari Striblin), a young neighborhood kid who’s already becoming desensitized to the violence around him. Andre’s father is another source of that violence prompting Oscar to step in to watch out for his young charge.

When tragedy strikes, Oscar starts gunning for payback. Unlike the typical revenge thriller, Oscar Shaw has Oscar go through a mini-grieving process before going after those responsible. While a unique approach, this slows the film’s momentum as the tragedy should essentially light the fuse for Oscar taking down all the bad guys. The slow burn take robs some of the tension and makes it feel like Oscar can get around to it whenever he’s ready.

Two obstacles make that payback more challenging. The first, detectives Nina Perez (Cecile Cubiló) and Chuck Ross (Rich Paul), who are investigating the case and aren’t convinced Oscar isn’t getting in the way of their progress.

The other is his ex-wife, Vanessa (Jeannette Josue), who returns to check in on him after the incident. Vanessa gets too much screen time for a simple check-up as if Roff is hinting that a reconciliation could be possible.

Directors R. Ellis Frazier and Justin Nesbitt seem conflicted on the film’s tone. A lively toe-tapping soundtrack doesn’t vibe with the shootout scenes or another instance where a woman ODs in her car. Oscar isn’t a supercop or a brilliant detective, but with a little determination and guile he’s able to get the information he needs.

White’s fans assuming Oscar Shaw is another explosive action thriller will be disappointed. While there are some brief moments of gunplay, this is a far more reserved physical effort from White, who nonetheless keeps the film engaging above expectations even if it never fully reaches its potential.