‘Judas and the Black Messiah’ is the side of history we should know
The newly released “Judas and the Black Messiah” expertly tells the true accounts of an FBI informant who is tasked with infiltrating the Black Panther Party, getting close to a prominent figure in the Illinois chapter, and ultimately betraying him. The biopic highlights the good in what activist Fred Hampton did for his community and explains how J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI racially targeted the Black Panther Party.
It starts off in Chicago 1968. We see a nervous man in a trench coat go into a bar and pretend to be an FBI agent to steal one of the patron’s cars. William “Bill” O’Neal, played by LaKieth Stanfield, is subsequently captured by police, and a real FBI agent interviews him. The agent ends the interview by asking Bill whether he wanted to spend the next several years in prison, or if he would help him and become an informant.
Scared of facing jail time, Bill agrees to become an informant. Not long after, he is tasked with spying on what the FBI then deemed to be a terrorist organization: the Black Panther Party. Bill is paid after giving valuable information to the FBI agent reporting back to Hoover, but after several close calls, he realizes the danger of this new job.
Meanwhile, Fred Hampton, played by the Oscar-nominated actor and “Get Out” star Daniel Kaluuya, follows his goal of helping the community by bringing together multiple gangs and political factions, including The Crowns, the Young Lords and The Young Patriots, to form a rainbow coalition.
Ultimately, we see how history played out, but this time through the point of view of the sleeping and unarmed Black Panthers, targeted by heavy gunfire, dragged out and beaten by the police.
The two leads truly shine in each role. We see the timidness, anxiousness and eventual shame following Bill. It gives us insight into why he had so much guilt in his later years. Moreover, Kaluuya really becomes Fred Hampton. His hard work and studious performance allow us to fully understand his character and his short 21 years of life.
“Judas and the Black Messiah” is an excellent film, one that shows the humanity and true colors of these real-life people. It’s relevant, not only for Black History Month, but because it gives the important message that we still have a long way to go in the fight for truly equal rights. It shows a side of history people rarely want to address, but should.
“Judas and the Black Messiah” is in open movie theaters and available to stream at home on HBO Max.
