Since 1992
Print and digital marketing
Judas and the Black Messiah
(Warner Bros. Pictures)
By Lucas Allen
Nominated for two Golden Globe Awards, “Judas and the Black Messiah” is another timely true story taking place during the time of a divided nation that eerily parallels our own. This film will surely be talked about, especially during Black History Month, but also will help inject some life back into the awards season. It’s co-written and directed by Shaka King, while it’s produced by notable African-American filmmaker Ryan Coogler.
In 1968 Chicago, William O’Neal (LaKeith Stanfield) is a car thief impersonating as an FBI agent in order to steal some valuable automobiles. When the police catch up to him, he faces several years in prison before FBI agent Roy Mitchell (Jesse Plemons) offers him an undercover job. The agency wants to bring down the Black Panther group, whom they deemed a terrorist organization, so Roy wants Bill to infiltrate them in order to get any information on what they’re doing. Soon enough, Bill is able to become part of the Illinois faction and becomes personal security to its chairman, Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya).
Bill finds himself stuck between two sides as he begins to believe in the party’s cause of spreading their message around the state. Worse, their clash with the police becomes increasingly violent each day. But Hampton remains tightly focused on the cause while settling down with his pregnant girlfriend Deborah (Dominique Fishback). This then leads Bill to decide if he should betray his leader or help lead the revolution.
It’s a story that feels like a 1960s urban version of “The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford.” At the same time, the movie certainly brings a level of power that can’t be overlooked. There’s a rawness to the events that transpired in the film, which will surely remind viewers of today’s Black Lives Matter and the protests that followed last summer. It’s a scary and tragic reminder of how politically and racially divided it was back in the 60s that remains relevant and timely in the 21st century, which young people today can learn from.
But while the script does have something to say, it hasn’t given enough development for Hampton and his road to his chairman role beyond his stirring speeches. When he speaks in front of a crowd, he’s believable about the words he said, but we don’t know much about him for us to care if it means looking him up on Wikipedia. It’s understandable the main character is William O’Neil and his undercover job, so the movie could’ve benefitted by balancing that the story with Hampton’s life story about how these two men can find a common place in their time before the ultimate betrayal at the end. Maybe with a longer runtime, the movie would’ve been more interesting as a Scorsese-style epic drama.
There are some strong performances that help add to the film’s human drama. Kaluuya embodies the powerful speaker part with energy and raw anger, which gives his scenes at the podium that unflinching feeling. Though overshadowed by the former, Stanfield still manages to bring meaning and emotion to his role as a young man morally stuck between a rock and a hard place. However, there are also some oddball casting choices like Martin Sheen nearly unrecognizable as J. Edgar Hoover made up to look more like Richard Nixon as an evil caricature. Then there’s funnyman Lil’ Rel Howery as a pimp with an ulterior motive, who comes off as being too out of place in this drama.
There’s a lot to like about “Judas and the Black Messiah” in spite of its questionable choices. But most importantly, the movie is at its best a powerful true story wonderfully told in a timely manner. When you see it, it’ll surely stir you as well as lift you up.
THE MOVIE’S RATING: R (for violence and pervasive language)
THE CRITIC’S RATING: 3.25 Stars (Out of Four)
