“You can murder a revolutionary but you can’t murder a revolution...
You can murder a liberator bit you can’t murder a liberation...
You can murder a freedom fighter but you can’t murder freedom.”
In a time when social causes are met with disruption and violence, it is important to look back at history to see what we can do. But there are times when a light shines on a part of history that makes you wonder why it was in the shadow this entire time.
Judas and the Black Messiah details FBI informant William O'Neal as he infiltrates the Illinois Black Panther Party and is tasked with keeping tabs on their charismatic leader, Chairman Fred Hampton. A career thief, O'Neal revels in the danger of manipulating both his comrades and his handler, Special Agent Roy Mitchell. Hampton's political prowess grows just as he's falling in love with fellow revolutionary Deborah Johnson. Meanwhile, a battle wages for O'Neal's soul. Will he align with the forces of good? Or subdue Hampton and The Panthers by any means, as FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover commands?
There's no denying the story that was Fred Hampton, a charismatic leader of the Black Panther Party who was passionate about his cause, and Bill O'Neill who infiltrated Fred's Chapter and became an FBI informant to the Black Panther Party. There's no denying that the story of how Fred Hampton was betrayed and eventually murdered echoes through the annals of change in Society, much more for the cause of civil rights in America.
Once and a great while, a film comes along that challenges perspective and causes you to look at the forefront of a cause for Civil Rights. Judas and the Black Messiah came out at the right time, and the story of Fred Hampton needs to be told; he's just as important as Malcolm X in this movement.
The film is incendiary in it's message. Shaka King's direction is phenomenal, and it keeps the energy of the movie moving at a pace that matches that of a cheetah, and what makes this film great is the powerhouse acting. Here, we get a plethora of on screen performances that proves so much worth. But the real prizes of this film are Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith Stanfield. Stanfield plays a guilt-ridden Bill O'Neil caught between a rock and a hard place for either jail or becoming an informant. Kaluuya is the main attraction, with his performance of Fred Hampton being one for the ages.
Judas and the Black Messiah is a piece of cinematic dynamite, and it needs to be watched. It’s in theaters and streaming in HBO Max now.