'Judas And The Black Messiah,' Opens February 12

 

By Darlene Donloe

The story of Fred Hampton, chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party, and his fateful betrayal by FBI informant William O'Neal, is a little known one, but no less an affecting and important moment in Black history. 

At only 21, Chairman Fred Hampton was assassinated by the FBI, who offered a plea deal and coerced a petty criminal named William O’Neal to help them silence him, and the Black Panther Party.  

Chairman Hampton, or comrade as they called each other, was quickly growing popular and too powerful. People started paying attention and more importantly were becoming inspired by his words.  That greatly scared the FBI and the Chicago Police who were growing weary of his ability to fire up a new generation of revolutionaries.

So the government sent in William O’Neal, a petty criminal who was offered a deal by the FBI. If he would infiltrate the Black Panthers and provide intel on Hampton, he would walk free.  O’Neal took the deal.

It’s all being told in the biopic, Judas and the Black Messiah, set in the 1960s and also set for nationwide release on February 12, 2021.

Judas and the Black Messiah, directed by Shaka King, stars Daniel Kaluuya, LeKeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons, Dominique Fishback, Ashton Sanders, and Martin Sheen. 

Kaluuya as Hampton and Stanfield as O’Neal is a force to be reckoned with. Together they have authentic cinematic chemistry.

Kaluuya, who made his bones in the Jordan Peele thriller, Get Out, is known for engulfing whatever character he is playing. He throws himself into the roles with his body, his eyes, and his sensibility. There is a clear authenticity to his performance in Judas and the Black Messiah that reveals the many layers of a leader in the making. 

Stanfield as O’Neal is amazing to watch. He plays off Kaluuya so brilliantly with his subtle nuances and strength of character. All at once, he shows the vulnerability, strength, confusion, and complexity of a man who had clearly lost his soul.  This is, without a doubt, a career-best performance.

Dominique Fishback is a joy to watch. Although hers is a supporting role, she delivers a standout performance as Hampton’s girlfriend, Deborah Johnson. Johnson, who bore Hampton’s only child, Fred Hampton, Jr., is the one that brought out Hampton’s soft side.   

Judas and the Black Messiah will surely get under your skin. It will incense you to the 10th power.  There are moments of intensity that will surely make you anxious.   The movie, which exposes a piece of civil rights history, does exactly what it’s supposed to do. It pulls the curtain back on a U.S. government that by any means necessary would silence the voices of leaders in the Black community who were becoming too powerful. 

The government was so scared of the possibilities of the Illinois Black Panther Party, that they tried to kill not only its members but the spirit of the movement. 

In actuality, Hampton was trying to unite other oppressed ethnic groups so that, they too, would stand up for their rights.  Hampton started the Rainbow Coalition and was excited and dedicated to his school breakfast program.

In trying to assassinate a dream, the U.S. government ignited a movement that was emboldened after Hampton’s vile American-sanctioned murder. 

This is clearly one of the best films of 2021.

On the DONLOE SCALE: D (don’t bother), O (oh, no), N (needs work), L (likable), O (oh, yeah) and E (excellent), Judas and the Black Messiah gets an E (excellent).