Review: Judas & the Black Messiah

 


Hello, Everybody! Today I'm reviewing Judas and the Black Messiah, a film that came out in both theaters and HBO Max. 

It follows Bill O' Neal, a car thief who is taken into custody by the FBI and he becomes an informant and infiltrates the Illinois Black Panther Party led by Fred Hampton. 

Judas & the Black Messiah stars LaKeith Stanfield, Daniel Kaluuya, Jesse Plemons, Dominique Fishback, Ashton Sanders, Algee Smith, Dominique Thorne, Jermaine Fowler, Terayle Hill, Martin Sheen, Lil Rel Howery, Nick Fink, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Caleb Eberhardt and Tyra Joy Smith and is written and directed by Shaka King. 

This film puts the Black Panther Party front and center for the first time in a major Hollywood film and it's the most well-acted, smart and powerful film I've ever seen and I can say that for a lot of movies, but this cinematic experience is already the best film of 2021(so far). 

One of the film's virtues is that it gave a sense of who Fred Hampton was as both a black man living in Chicago and a leader. Daniel Kaluuya captured Fred's gift for inspiring activists and his ferocious critique of the US Nation. It's Kaluuya's best performance of his career. 

Bill O' Neal, played by Stanfield, is the Judas in this film, meaning that he's the person that causes the death of the Jesus of this story, which is Fred. Through the eyes of Bill, you witness the Panthers' work in their Black communities, through free Breakfast programs. The more Bill learns about the Black Panthers, the more he is conflicted during his mission. He knows better that his FBI contact is insisting that they're just as bad as the Ku Klux Klan. 

The film doesn't shy away from the Panthers' militancy, as they wear berets and carry firearms. They are clearly capable of violence as demonstrated during that intense shootout with the police. When Bill finds out about the torture and murder of a suspected mole, he becomes very afraid for his life as he might suffer the same fate. He starts off with a blank in a page and by the end, he's drowned in guilt, sorrow and confusion. It's another great performance from LaKeith Stanfield.

Give Kaluuya his Oscar already!

Thanks for reading and don't forget to comment your thoughts below.


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