The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Required viewing: ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’
‘Judas and the Black Messiah’ at times lacks momentum, but drama addresses a dark, still-relevant piece of history
The drama at times lacks momentum, but addresses a dark, still-relevant piece of history.
“Judas and the Black Messiah” has a great many strengths. ¶ “Inspired by true events,” the Warner Bros. Pictures film — debuting in theaters and via HBO Max this week — tells the story of Fred Hampton, a Midwestern college student who rose to become chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party. ¶ Although set in the late 1960s, the movie feels all too relevant today. ¶ It boasts an outstanding performance by “Get Out” star Daniel Kaluuya as Fred. ¶ And it is artfully directed by Shaka King, making his first major-studio film. ¶ However, even as it offers some insightful dialogue from its handful of writers, “Judas and the Black Messiah” struggles to build and maintain narrative momentum. ¶ That’s disappointing, but it isn’t a deal-breaker.
The “Black Messiah” part of the movie’s title established in its setting-establishing opening moments that lead to a speech by FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover (Martin Sheen) to myriad subordinate agents.
“The Black Panthers are the single greatest threat to our national security,” he says, “more than the Chi
nese — even more than the Russians!
“Our counterintelligence programs must prevent the rise of a black messiah from among their midsts, one with the potential to unite the Communist, the Anti-war and the New Left movements!”
Fred, specifically, is of
great concern to him.
As its title suggest, though, the movie isn’t simply the story of Hampton, but also that of William O’Neil, the FBI informant who worked to get close to the BPP leader.