Review of Judas and the Black Messiah (2021) by Popculturetoday — 12 Feb 2021

Judas and the Black Messiah tells the story about an FBI informant William O’Neal who infiltrates the Illinois Black Panther Party and is tasked with keeping tabs on their charismatic leader, Chairman Fred Hampton.

Daniel Kaluuya continues to prove to be an amazing up and coming actor in the role of Fred and LaKeith Stanfield doesn’t fail to disappoint either. The cinematography was something that really caught my eye as it felt like I was watching a Spike Lee film and I feel as if that filming style really helped capture the essence of the late 1960’s.

Although the film is barely over 2 hours long it is a pretty slow burn and hardly has any action focused scenes. This might cause it to be hard for some viewers to sit through. Regardless, the story is decent.

Dialogue and delivery is great, but I feel as if the main character, William, is a bit weak. During my viewing I thought to myself, either this film should’ve been solely about Fred or the focus of Will should’ve been increased.

For having a metaphorical title name and objectively being the protagonist, Will honestly feels like a supporting character or a side thought during a majority of the film. I wish we got to see more of the mental toll that his role as an FBI informant had on his life.

I wish we got to see more of his reasoning for why he is doing what he is doing. I wish we got to see more of his personal beliefs shine on the war between the corrupt government and the questionable acts of the Black Panther Party.

Something I appreciate about a film like this is that it doesn’t play sides. It doesn’t push a liberal agenda as right minded viewers may think it will. It tells the truth about the Black Panthers, the Klan, the government, and how these events shaped history.

This movie is for those who want to know American history. Despite the shortcomings with some of the characters, Judas and the Black Messiah didn’t fail to entertain and educate.