Judas and the Black Messiah review

JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH: 

FRED HAMPTON BIOPIC IS AN ABSOLUTE POWERHOUSE!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: **** out of 4

WARNER BROS. PICTURES

Lakeith Stanfield and Daniel Kaluuya in Judas and the Black Messiah

 

            I AM A REVOLUTIONARY! Daniel Kaluuya (Skins, Get Out, Black Panther), Lakeith Stanfield (Dope, Get Out, Sorry to Bother You), and director Shaka King (Newlyweeds) join forces to tell one of the most fascinating betrayals in American history and a timely condemnation of racial injustice in Judas and the Black Messiah. A depiction of the real-life betrayal of Illinois Black Panther Party leader, Fred Hampton by FBI informant, William O’Neal and Hampton’s assassination. 

            The film had been in development since 2014 and was originally to be directed by Friday and Straight Outta Compton’s F. Gary Gray and starring Jaden Smith and O’Shea Jackson Jr. but it never fell through until Shaka King and ironically the Black Panther movie director Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station, Creed, Black Panther) as a producer were brought onboard to helm the movie. Did King successfully bring this emotional powerhouse of a story to the screen? The short answer is YES! 

            Judas and the Black Messiah is absolutely fantastic, from the acting to the production design and a well-written script that manages to balance hard-hitting drama, a little bit of comedy, and heart-pounding intensity all at the same time without ever feeling out of place. It’s the kind of film that’s honest with its subject matter and has a lot of topical themes that everyone no matter what race you are should see. 

            Set in the late 1960s, the film follows FBI informant William O’Neal (Stanfield) being tasked to infiltrate the Black Panther Party and keep tabs on their leader, Chairman Fred Hampton (Kaluuya). O’Neal basks in the danger of manipulating both his comrades and Special Agent Roy Mitchell (Jesse Plemons-The Master, Black Mass, The Irishman), Hampton’s political skills grow just as he’s falling in love with revolutionary Deborah Johnson (Dominique Fishback-The Deuce, The Hate U Give, Project Power), and a battle soon wages on O’Neal’s soul as he makes the difficult decision of aligning with Hampton and the Black Panther Party or subdue them by any means as demanded by FBI Director, J. Edgar Hoover (Martin Sheen-Apocalypse Now, The West Wing, The Amazing Spider-Man). 

            The film also stars Ashton Sanders (Moonlight, The Equalizer 2, All Day and a Night) as Jimmy Palmer, Darrell Britt-Gibson (The Wire, 20^th Century Women, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) as Bobby Rush, Lil Rey Howery (The Carmichael Show, Get Out, Free Guy) as Wayne, Algee Smith (Detroit, The Hate U Give, Euphoria) as Jake Winters, Jermaine Fowler (Superior Donuts, Sorry to Bother You, Coming 2 America) as Mark Clark, Dominique Thorne (If Beale Street Could Talk) as Judy Harmon, and Amari Cheatom (Django Unchained, Crown Heights, Roman J. Israel, Esq.) as Collins. 

            Overall, Judas the Black Messiah is a powerful dramatization of the betrayal of Fred Hampton by William O’Neal and Hampton’s eventual assassination and an honest condemnation of racial injustice that is sure to be a strong contender during awards season. The script is very poignant and thought-provoking, the acting from the cast is superb, and the cinematography and production design really makes 1969 Chicago come alive, even during a couple of slow moments I was completely invested and entertained all the way through. 

            Much like Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman, it is eerie how relevant this film is today and how it mirrors various current events despite it being set all the way back in the ‘60s. Like the Black Panther Party being labelled as a terrorist group similar to some people’s views on the Black Lives Matter movement, police brutality, racism, manipulation by government and law-enforcement figures, and too many more to count, it’s sickening to see all these violent and hate-filled acts onscreen and there’s a large saturation of movies based on civil rights and/or race-related stories, but films like this are important in our culture so we can compare it to current events and do something those despicable, racist pigs don’t…Think, look at the conflict from the perspectives of those involved, and be a part of the big change! 

            Topical subject matter aside, this is a very enlightening and well-made movie with a lot of kinetic energy in the directing and acting. This is Shaka King’s first mainstream movie and after watching it, I’m convinced he is fully capable of following in the footsteps of Steve McQueen, Spike Lee, F. Gary Gray, Lee Daniels, Ava DuVernay, Jordan Peele, and even Ryan Coogler to become one of the most influential filmmakers of our time. 

            King seems very well-educated in the story and themes and gives the blunt, honest truth and tells it in a very entertaining and informative way. It’s very well-paced and edited and it has a very stylish tone with a lot of neon-lit streets at night and a grit to everything, it really feels like you’ve traveled back in time to 1969, thankfully the visuals never upstage the actors. 

            The acting is incredible, most notably from Lakeith Stanfield, Daniel Kaluuya, and Jesse Plemons, all 3 of them pretty much transform into their characters especially Kaluuya as Fred Hampton from the way he looked, dressed, and spoke, he brought him back to life for this movie…that’s all I can say. Stanfield continues to impress moviegoers with his acting skills and his performance as William O’Neal is no exception, he captures the crazy, cowardly, and traitorous side of the real person and really conveys the feelings of guilt around the time of Hampton’s assassination, and Jesse Plemons is also great as Roy Mitchell, a seemingly respectable FBI Special Agent at first who appears to be on Hampton and O’Neal’s sides, but is actually hiding something from them as the film progresses, it somewhat reminds me of a reverse version of his Game Night character, all excellent performances. 

            Judas and the Black Messiah is as engaging as it is relevant and honest with electrifying performances by its cast, a well-written script, impressive production design, and affectionate directing by Shaka King. Whether in theaters or streaming on HBO Max, this is one trip to gritty 1969 Chicago not to be missed.