Josh Reviews Judas and the Black Messiah
Judas and the Black Messiah tells the story of the murder of Fred Hampton, the charismatic chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther party in 1969. J. Edgar Hoover and others in the FBI feared Chairman Hampton and saw him as a radical who needed to be eliminated; as such, the FBI and Chicago Police Department conspired together to disrupt the Black Panther organization and eventually drug and murder Hampton in his bed at home. The police raided his home and fired 91 shots, killing him and wounding several others who were in the house with him. Fred Hampton was 21 years old.
Judas and the Black Messiah is absolutely riveting. It’s a masterfully made film that brings this story — so little known in America today — to powerful life.
The film is anchored by two spectacular performances: Daniel Kaluuya (Black Panther) as Fred Hampton, and Lakeith Stanfield (Atlanta, The Harder They Fall, Knives Out) as Bill O’Neal, the Black Party member who was actually a mole for the FBI and whose actions helped lead to Hampton’s murder.
Daniel Kaluuya is magnetic as Fred Hampton. This is an extraordinary leading-man performance. Mr. Kaluuya brings such energy and charisma to the role. We can see why Fred Hampton has been able to rise to the leadership of his movement at such a young age. He’s absolutely captivating in the films’ scenes of Fred Hampton’s oratory. And yet, throughout, Mr. Kaluuya’s performance feels nuanced and human. He’s able to convey Fred Hampton the leader but also Fred Hampton the man. It’s an extraordinary piece of work. What’s particularly impressive to me is how different Mr. Kaluuya is in this role than he was in his iconic turn as W’Kabi in Black Panther. There, Mr. Kaluuya had a sleepy-eyed laconic persona, but here he is all wide-eyed energy. This is a momentous performance.
Equally spectacular is Lakeith Stanfield’s performance as Bill O’Neal. I’m reminded of Casey Affleck’s work in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Bill O’Neal is the villain of the film. His cowardice leads directly to the assassination of Fred Hampton. And yet, Mr. Stanfield’s subtle and empathetic performance prevented me as an audience member from hating his character. Mr. Stanfield shows us Bill’s bravado and brashness but he also always shows us the man’s human beating heart underneath, and his fear as an animal trapped with no way out of his maze. This is incredibly nuanced work. I’ve been a fan of Mr. Stanfield’s for years but this is a whole new level. It’s magnificent to watch.
Dominique Fishback impressed me with her layered work as Darlene on The Deuce, and she’s again terrific here as Deborah Johnson, the talented writer who falls in love with Fred Hampton and is days away from giving birth to a child with him when he was gunned down. Jesse Plemons (Breaking Bad, Black Mass, The Irishman) adds yet another cold-hearted son-of-a-bitch to his roster with his work as the dead-eyed FBI agent Roy Mitchell. Martin Sheen is horrific and terrifying as J. Edgar Hoover. These are just a few of the more famous members of this terrific ensemble that also includes Ashton Sanders (Moonlight), Algee Smith (Euphoria), Darrell Britt-Gibson (The Wire, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), Lil Rel Howery (Get Out), Dominique Thorne (who is playing Riri Williams/Ironheart in the upcoming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), Amari Cheatom (Django Unchained), and many more.
The screenplay by Will Berson and Shaka King (who also directed the film) is terrific. I love how deftly they avoided the usual cliches of the standard biopic. They kept their subject, Fred Hampton, at a relatable human level… and in so doing made him even more heroic and noble. And the choice of spending as much time and attention on the man involved with his death is a brilliant choice (reminiscent of that made by Lin-Manuel Miranda in Hamilton) that gives the film a back-and-forth energy and tension that is propulsive. Speaking of energy, let me heap some more praise on director Shaka King, who demonstrates incredible skill with every frame of the film. I love how visceral and immediate this film is. Again, Mr. King avoids the pitfalls of the standard biopic, that can sometimes feel dull or distant. Mr. King has created a film that’s alive with energy and passion and anger. It’s fantastic.
This film should be required viewing in every American History class in the United States. I was blown away by this story and the incredible skill of Mr. King and his collaborators in bringing it to life. This film will make you mad. It should. It’s disheartening to see how little progress we’ve made since 1969. At the same time, Fred Hampton’s optimism and belief in progress and the power of people working together to spread love and help one another is incredibly inspirational and feels more important than ever.
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