'Judas and the Black Messiah' Review
R: Violence and pervasive language
Runtime: 2 Hrs and 6 Minutes
Production Companies: MACRO, Participant, Bron Creative
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Director: Shaka King
Writers: Will Berson, Shaka King
Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Stanfield, Dominique Fishback, Jesse Plemons, Ashton Sanders, Martin Sheen, Algee Smith, Lil Rel Howery, Jermaine Fowler
Release Date: February 12, 2021
IN THEATERS AND HBO MAX
FBI informant William O’Neal (LaKeith Stanfield) infiltrates the Illinois Black Panther Party and is tasked with keeping tabs on their charismatic leader, Chairman Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya). A career thief, O’Neal revels in the danger of manipulating both his comrades and his handler, Special Agent Roy Mitchell (Jesse Plemons). Hampton’s political prowess grows just as he’s falling in love with fellow revolutionary Deborah Johnson (Dominique Fishback). Meanwhile, a battle wages for O’Neal’s soul. Will he align with the forces of good? Or subdue Hampton and The Panthers by any means, as FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover (Martin Sheen) commands?
Daniel Kaluuya always gives such masterful performances in American productions that it makes me question his British background. It’s like a cycle at this point. I’m aware that the man is British, he stars in an American film with a predominantly Black cast, speaks with a seamless American accent, delivers a remarkable performance, I start to question if he’s actually British, rinse and repeat. He’s just that incredible. My man did his research on Fred Hampton and it shows; he radiates nothing but sheer strength, power, and energy in his portrayal. After watching footage of Fred Hampton for reference, it’s safe to say that Kaluuya nailed the brother’s voice and dialect disturbingly well. Though, as far as casting goes, I was taken aback by him and Lakeith Stanfield in their respective roles since they’re a bit too old to be playing figures who were on the cusp of their 20s. That being said, I don’t know if Kaluuya gained weight or is wearing a fat suit, but even the physicality is on point with the small potbelly and the pudge on his face. From the bravado in his voice as he’s delivering speeches to his fellow Panthers to the charisma and wisdom he exudes to get others to join his cause, I genuinely bought Kaluuya as Hampton as he captures the fiery spirit of the revolutionary (pun intended) figure.
I commend screenwriters Will Berson and Shaka King for showcasing Hampton as a powerful figure — the titular Black Messiah — while also attempting to humanize him. They display the sweet, human parts of Fred Hampton as much as they can and it works best through his tender relationship with Deborah Johnson (Dominique Fishback), a poet who is entranced by his words and begins a romance with him. The film is at its most poignant when Johnson and Hampton share the screen because Fishback and Kaluuya have such phenomenal chemistry. The two share a naturally sweet, intimate bond and you get a genuine gradual rise of anxiety as their love gets stronger and the stakes get higher. I really appreciate the effort screenwriters like Berson, King, and Kemp Powers (One Night in Miami) make to write these prolific figures from history as regular human beings with a platform and a mission instead of just an idealized version of who they are. Though I will say, I don’t think the romance is fully developed to the best of its abilities as far as writing goes, but the foundation is there and Dominique Fishback is absolutely spectacular in her role as the soft-spoken poet Deborah. She was so damn committed to the role that she actually wrote the poems she delivers and her lyricism integrates so well into the narrative. This is another showcase of her talent and she leaves a lasting impact with her performance.
Okay, I’m doing all this talking about Fred Hampton and Daniel Kaluuya as if it isn’t Bill O'Neal’s story as well. Most of the film is told through his perspective like a Black Keanu Reeves in Point Break, except he’s being blackmailed by the FBI and serving as their pawn while infiltrating a Black Power political organization. O’ Neal is such a slimy dude, outlying himself as the pig in Panther’s clothing. Lakeith Stanfield depicts an insecure, vulnerable personality with O’Neal so damn well that it keeps you on edge throughout. Much like your Johnny Utah or Brian O’Conner, O’Neal is the point of reference to guide you through this world. While there isn’t much character to O’Neal to portray him more like the titular Judas, apart from just the obvious betrayal, you do get a riveting history lesson out of this.
While watching Judas and the Black Messiah, which I screened at a terrible time — like, “the week of the insurrection” terrible –– I did find some entertainment value to it. I wasn’t taught much about the Panthers growing up and the movie provides some shocking insight that I wasn’t even aware of. When the film ended, I had to do my research and see if the Lucas Bros. and Shaka King’s story was legit. While some things are altered for story purposes, some of the information is pretty accurate and integrates well with the story. I didn’t know of things like the existence of Puerto Rican radical Panthers or right-wing Confederate racists who helped joined the coalition in this war against cops, nor did I know about Hampton’s mom being Emmett Till’s babysitter prior to his murder. Hampton rightfully earned that Messiah title, uniting everyone, including racists, against the cops. The film keeps an earnest tone, which could work wonders for younger audiences and inform them about Black Panther history and the social issues Black people faced at the time.
If I was a U.S. History teacher, I would definitely show my class this movie during a lesson about the civil rights movement post-MLK’s assassination. It’s entertaining to watch but never sacrifices its integrity to appease a certain demographic. Shaka King’s direction is raw and there are ample scenes of brutal, graphic violence that will definitely make Black viewers clutch their pearls, but it retains a consistent amount of sincerity and intensity with its depiction. The movie makes it clear that this is a power struggle — perhaps even a war — between the FBI and Black people, and boy does everybody eat it hard on both sides.
From a technical standpoint, the cinematography done by Sean Bobbitt (12 Years a Slave, Widows) is impressive. For a white dude, he sure knows how to light Black people in the dark and do so in a manner that is always visually impressive, especially given the film’s natural soft, mustard lighting.
While it’s consistent in tone, Judas and the Black Messiah lacks consistency in regards to focus. It seems to switch between romantic biopic and historical crime drama. The film opens with a reenactment of an interview with O’Neal for the PBS documentary series Eyes on the Prize, which aired in 1990 and at first it’s used as the framing device to tell the story, similar to what Doug Liman did with American Made, but it gets dropped later on. They return to 40-year-old O’Neal, who doesn’t look that different when compared to his early-20s self outside of his beard, but as the film progresses you go from navigating the narrative from one POV to seeing it from all the major players’ perspectives (Hampton, O’Neal, the FBI). I would’ve been fine with all three perspectives, but why reenact that PBS footage if you weren’t going to commit to it or use archival footage later on? It’s not justified and it’s very bothersome.
That being said, this film’s scope may be too damn wide for its own good. It tries so hard to set the stage for the social and emotional climate of the time, but it simply goes as deep as it gets to push O’Neal as a character with a justifiable arc that builds up to his eternal regret. As much as the framing the story around O’Neal serves a particular purpose, basing the entire narrative around him probably wasn’t the best idea.
The film does have a rightful ACAB energy throughout, but it tries to make you feel somewhat sympathetic towards Jesse Plemons who plays the agent that hires O’Neal. I knew its intention and by the time it hit a traversal turning point, as a Black viewer, it holds as much weight as a bad punchline to a joke you’ve heard plenty of times before.
Oh, Warner Bros. How ironic that a decade ago y’all released a J. Edgar biopic made by Eastwood for an awards play. Y’all really tried to depict him as an interesting figure deserving of his own movie where he’s played by none other than Leo DiCaprio. Cut to today where you distributed a movie about the Black Panther party, getting Martin Sheen to portray Hoover and accurately depict him like the fucking racist bitch ass murderer that he is. It’s about damn time. I hope y’all learn a lesson from all this. Man, this movie came out at the perfect time — right after Sam Pollard’s shocking and detailed doc MLK/FBI. It’s enough to express loudly as hell that J. Edgar Hoover is a despicable, evil piece of shit and it’s as transparent as you’d expect.
At the end of the day, Judas and the Black Messiah is a riveting historical drama that chronicles an underlooked time in history. It features another outstanding performance by Daniel Kaluuya and a talented ensemble to boot. If you watch this film, I highly suggest you follow it up with MLK/FBI wherever you can find it because believe me, Fred Hampton was far from the only civil rights figure murdered by J. Edgar Hoover and his team.
