A Warner Bros Picture, Written by Will Berson, Shaka King, Kenny Lucas, Keith Lucas, Directed by Shaka King.
“You can murder a liberator, but you can’t murder liberation. You can murder a revolutionary, but you can’t murder revolution. And you can murder a freedom fighter, but you can’t murder freedom!”
Judas and the Black Messiah (2021) tells the story of Bill O’Neal (Lakeith Stanfield), who following an arrest is offered a plea deal by the FBI, to infiltrate the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party and gather intelligence on Chairman Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya), who the FBI fear has the potential to become a ‘Black Messiah’ that could unite an uprising. As O’Neal and Hampton grow closer, the net closes in on both men as events begin to come to a boiling point, and the authorities tighten their stranglehold on society. It is produced by Ryan Coogler and directed by Shaka King. It also co-stars Dominique Fishback, Jesse Plemons, Dominique Thorne, Ashton Sanders, and Martin Sheen, among others.
The film is very tightly made, getting straight into the action with no unnecessary baggage and the characters and plot dynamics are established quickly and effectively, so that we waste no time getting into the real meat of the story, which is showing the work of the Black Panther Party, and in particular, the build up and reasons for Fred Hampton’s assassination at the hands of the FBI.
In a move that is refreshing for this type of film, it makes it very clear that the FBI and the authorities are the real criminals here and does not try to make it a ‘both sides’ issue, and even though for decades in American filmmaking the FBI has been instantly seen as the good guys, here as soon as you see them, your heart drops for what will happen at their hand. It is very openly anti-cop and makes it clear that the FBI feared Fred Hampton and the way in which he could unite people from all backgrounds and beliefs, behind one unified cause, and that is why they assassinated him.
On a filmmaking level, the film is very impressively crafted, and all of that starts with director Shaka King. He has a very clear vision for the film he is making and what he wants to say with it, and that comes through on the screen. The script isn’t perfect, in some spots it adds unnecessary subplots at the expense of time spent with the main characters, but in general it is some good work, feeling very polished and always pushing the story forward, never just standing still. The film also features impressive cinematography, and while it isn’t the flashy style that usually wins awards, it is very strong all the same. Another key aspect of the film, and one which helps ratchet up the tension throughout the film, is the sound design, and it is some of the best work in this field of the year.
One aspect of the film that does in many ways feel like a missed opportunity, despite how brilliant the cast was, is that the actors portraying Hampton and O’Neal are around a decade older than the real people. O’Neal was only a teenager when he was recruited by the FBI and sent in to the Black Panther’s as a mole, and Fred Hampton was only 21 years old when he was killed. It is often the case in biopics like this that the actors are significantly older or younger than the real-life people they are portraying, and that is the case here too. The effect that it has is how we see the characters, Hampton in particular. He is shown as a seasoned and thoughtful man who has seemingly been fighting and leading this struggle for years already. In reality, he was a remarkable revolutionary, a young man that still managed to create a rainbow alliance that threatened the very core of the establishment, meanwhile still forging his way through a transformative time in anyone’s life, and also having a young family on the way. By taking away the youth of these people, the story does slightly lose something that it can’t quite regain, even if it tries to keep calling them “kids”.
However, despite raising that point, it doesn’t take away from the fact that some of the performances here are the finest you will find in any film this year. The supporting ensemble often do not have too much to do, but especially the likes of Dominique Fishback, Jesse Plemons, and Dominque Thorne, all really make the most of their roles and do exactly what they film and story requires them to.
This is very much a two-hander, even if it is told from the perspective of O’Neal, and both leads do amazing work. Lakeith Stanfield has the less flashy of the two roles, but it is no less important, and he absolutely delivers. It is key that he can make us engaged with the internal struggle of this man who we know is about to commit the ultimate betrayal, and he manages to do that with ease, showing again how he is one of the most versatile character actors of his generation.
As for Daniel Kaluuya in the role of Fred Hampton, it is hard to praise him enough. In what is very much a co-lead performance, not supporting like he is being campaigned, Kaluuya completely transforms into Hampton, down to the voice and mannerisms, and disappears into the role. When he delivers some of Hampton’s iconic speeches, you cannot take your eyes off the screen, and the audience is as gripped to Kaluuya as the crowds were to Hampton in them moments. As well as this, he also manages to add a human side to him outside of just being a ‘figure’, and in the more-quiet moments, we see him as just a young man trying to care for his family and make a difference in this world. One of the performances of the year.
Overall, Judas and the Black Messiah establishes itself as one of this Oscar seasons best movies, and one of the finest biopics in recent years. There are small nit-picks with the film that I have expressed, but on the whole, I was incredibly impressed with most elements of this film and how it was executed. The text that comes up at the end is some of the most chilling information delivered on screen in a long time. It never backs down from what it is saying about society or specific organisations, and it tells an important story that sadly still far few people actually know about.
“I’m going to die for the people, because I live for the people! I live for the people, because I love the people!” – Chairman Fred Hampton
Rating = 4.5/5
Howe's World of Film and TV 