Review of Judas and the Black Messiah (2021) by Iceman21 — 17 Mar 2021

The tragic story of former Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton has found a worthy recipient in director Shaka King. In his second feature film, Shaka tells the story of the rise of the young Hampton in Chicago in the late 1960s. The latter is unaware that a member of his own ranks is cooperating with the FBI to put a stop to him and the party.

Judas and the Black Messiah is marked by outstanding performances. Lakeith Stanfield acts as the "Judas" in the film, i.e. traitor William O'Neal, who is infiltrated into the Black Panther group as a mole by FBI employee Roy Mitchell (Jesse Plemons) after attempted car theft. The two share a very believable and atypical chemistry that almost makes you suspect a friendship of sorts. The real person behind William O'Neal even said years later that he admired Mitchell. Stanfield is the real protagonist of the film. Large parts are taken up by Daniel Kaluuya as Fred Hampton, the "Black Messiah" beloved by many but just as much opposed by many. Kaluuya is tailor-made for this role. He is electrifying, powerful and does not hold back in illustrating his emotions. It is above all Kaluuya's eyes that say a great deal about his character and illustrate the determination Fred Hampton displayed to assert his values. Especially during speeches he lets it all out and combines all kinds of emotional states: suffering, passion and anger towards the "Pigs" (racists). Dominique Fishback, as Hampton's partner and mother-to-be Deborah, takes up quite a bit of screen time and displays enormous poetry and passion in her few dialogues. She and Kaluuya also have terrific chemistry.

Judas and the Black Messiah is ultimately just a semi-biopic about one of the most significant black freedom fighters in American history. The focus is on O'Neal's betrayal and Hampton's relentless fight against racism and for equality. Besides the superb acting performances, the cinematography and King’s atmospheric direction stand out as major strengths. If the film can be criticised for anything, it is that due to its lengthy structure it often fails to find a red thread and gets lost in arbitrary subplots a few times. These have relevance to the main plot, but take up several minutes of the running time. Without Stanfield's authentic acting, his character would lack a lot of humanity, because it is difficult to empathise with him despite him being the protagonist. The exact opposite is the case with Kaluuya, who absolutely dominates and captivates the film. From start to finish, he fills Hampton's big shoes brilliantly, honouring a historical figure who unfortunately flies far too much under the radar. Judas and the Black Messiah is an excellently realised film and communicates important and educational incidents.