Judas and the Black Messiah Movie Review: Intensely Fascinating and Tragic
Judas and the Black Messiah is a movie based on the real life story of Willian (Bill) O’Neal, a man who goes undercover to infiltrate the Black Panther Party, and Fred Hampton, the charismatic and powerful chairman of a Chicago branch of the Black Panther Party. The title of the film Judas and the Black Messiah alludes to the biblical story of Judas, a person who betrays Jesus. From the title alone, you can probably deduce which character embodies Judas and which character embodies Jesus. I’m a bit ashamed to say that I did not know the story of Judas before watching this film, and literally had to google “why is this film called Judas and the Black Messiah” after the end credits rolled. But anyway, this movie is intensely fascinating and a bit harrowing with its displays of violence. It feels like a heist period drama, where the main protagonist is on the “wrong” side of history. While the ending is predictably tragic, the journey is impeccably crafted and so worth watching.
When you think of the Black Panther Party, you probably think of Malcolm X, but this movie takes place after the assassinations of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. Fred Hampton, a man who is literally only 21 years old, is a charismatic and powerful leader who is able to rally people and organizations together for a common cause. I think a big highlight of this film is watching Daniel Kaluuya delivering a stirring performance from beginning to end as Fred Hampton. His words are so powerful and his eyes feel like they’re piercing into your soul. I loved learning more about the Black Panthers through a new lens.
Performances were amazing all around. I think LaKeith Stanfield and Dominique Fishback were incredible as Bill and Deborah. I remember watching LaKeith Stanfield for the first time on Atlanta years ago, and I’m honestly blown away by the trajectory of his career and I love how he gets such a wide range of roles. Bill is a complex and conflicted character, and even though he is kind of the “villain” of the story, he’s also our leading man and protagonist. You feel for him deeply when you see the struggle in his eyes and how impossible his position is. Even though the ending is a frustrating and sad culmination of Bill’s betrayal, I think this movie does a great job of painting a more complete picture of a character instead of labeling him as purely a villain.
I think the most moving and memorable scene for me was one towards the end. Deborah is standing there, helpless and breathing heavily, as in the darkness behind her, violent and terrible things are happening. Watching her hardened expression as she flinched at every gunshot noise sent shivers down my spine. The action-heavy scenes at the end were horrifying to watch, and I felt my mouth go agape and my hands travel up to my face to shield my eyes. It’s impossible for us to pay homage and recognize every brave life that was brutally lost during the ongoing fight for civil rights, but this movie helped resurface and tell the stories of incredible people you wouldn’t necessarily read about in your high school history classes.
In conclusion…
Judas and the Black Messiah is one of those movies that lives up to the hype. The story hooks you from the very beginning and the performances are absolutely stunning. Definitely recommend if you enjoy serious dramas and social justice films.