Review: Judas And The Black Messiah

Image courtesy of HBO Max.

Daniel Kaluuya is sensational as slain Illinois Black Panther Party chairman Fred Hampton in "Judas and the Black Messiah," a fast paced historical drama that plays like a thriller and has a sense of urgency in our current moment. Much like Andrew Dominik's great "Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," Hampton is played as the iconic, mythologized character, while the man who betrays him - William O'Neal (LaKeith Stanfield, also great), a car thief turned FBI informant - is the lead character.

When we first meet O'Neal, he is posing as an officer of the law as he attempts to pinch a vehicle in a gang-controlled section of Chicago. He gets busted and ends up in front of Roy Mitchell (Jesse Plemons), an FBI agent who wants to use him to infiltrate Chicago's chapter of the Black Panthers in order for the bureau to be able to keep tabs on Hampton, whose soaring rhetoric and socialist ideals are appealing not only to members of the city's Black community, but also Latinos and, surprisingly, white rednecks.

I don't believe it's a spoiler to note that Hampton was shot in his sleep by police on Dec. 4, 1969 in an apartment where he was staying with his then-pregnant girlfriend, Deborah Johnson (Dominique Fishback), and several other Black Panther affiliates. According to the film and what I've gleaned from interviews, O'Neal also helped to drug Hampton, so that his execution could be carried out without a struggle. O'Neal later committed suicide.

Now that we've got all that out of the way, I'll note that "Judas and the Black Messiah" is, for a film in which we know how it's all going to turn out, expertly paced, riveting and suspenseful. Director Shaka King, making his sophomore feature, although the film is for all extents and purposes his first to garner attention, shows some real chops as a filmmaker. The picture is incredibly stylish and often looks incredible - particularly a great shot introducing O'Neal as he walks down a quiet city sidewalk with his jacket flapping in the wind, or as Hampton delivers a rousing speech to a crowd and the camera often ends up behind him at a podium.

As is often the case in films that follow this type of storyline - for example, "Donnie Brasco," in which a lawman infiltrated the mob - the one doing the spying ends up feeling for his target. In this case, the target is Hampton - and it's easy to see why O'Neal takes a liking to him. While the FBI and J. Edgar Hoover - portrayed as a nasty old coot here by Martin Sheen - try to paint Hampton as a violent revolutionary, his biggest concern often involves how he's going to get a medical center built in his community or other forms of community outreach. The man speaks truth to power, and O'Neal clearly feels guilty about selling the guy out.

But while Hampton is mythologized here, the film's portrayal of his relationship with Johnson adds heart to the story, rather than just relying on Hampton's speechifying moments, despite how electric they are. Another moment during which he visits with the mother of a young man gunned down by the police and just sits quietly and listens does the same.

"Judas and the Black Messiah" might be at its most exciting as the Panthers clash with police or when Hampton meets with local gangs during a tense moment in which he attempts to promote collaboration - or especially during the scenes when Hampton speaks to crowds - but it's these quieter moments of characterization that make it even more impactful. This is only King's second film as a director - his first is unseen by me - but I'd say he's undoubtedly an upcoming filmmaker to watch. This is a gripping and, considering the historical moment we're in, timely movie that is well worth seeing.