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Daniel Kaluuya delivers an electrifying performance in “Judas and the Black Messiah,” which will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. Kaluuya’s portrayal of Fred Hampton, the murdered chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party, is enthralling to watch as he prowls the stage and inspires his audience members. And his speeches are filled with passion and conviction. In the film’s opening scene, informant William O’Neal (LaKeith Stanfield), who plays the role of Judas, tells his handler Roy Mitchell (Jesse Plemons) that Hampton “could sell salt to a slug,” it isn’t hyperbole; Kaluuya makes you believe that Hampton will succeed in his mission to bring together a “rainbow coalition” of people of all races against a common enemy. It’s a stunning piece of work that will be talked about for a long time, and it lends a great deal of credibility to a film that has some serious script issues.
Fred Hampton’s preternatural ability to bring together potential enemies and rivals made him a dangerous presence in a country that was all too content with the racist status quo at the time. Because of this, he became yet another entry in the FBI’s “Black Messiah” christening sweepstakes, which was still being given out after their previous candidates for the title were assassinated. Hampton would be assassinated as well, on December 4, 1969, exactly 20 months after the assassination of the last “Black Messiah,” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in Memphis, Tennessee. O’Neal played a significant role in facilitating this tragedy by providing Hampton with the layout of his apartment and even helping the FBI with some dirty work a few hours before the shooting. Because he was a trusted confidant whose ultimate goal was betrayal, the biblical allusion in the title is a fitting choice for the story.
Despite the fact that he is not as well-developed as Jesus in the Gospels, Judas is still considered to be the most important supporting character in the story. The fact that Judas is technically the main character wouldn’t be a problem if the script by Shaka King and Will Berson had been as compelling as Hampton’s performance. Instead, the majority of the role is spent in one-note scenes between him and the FBI agent who is threatening him with prison time. In the recreation that opens the film, O’Neal appears in the PBS documentary “Eyes On the Prize 2,” in which he states that he trusted Mitchell and even saw him as a role model to follow in his career. Although there are moments in the film when it appears as though Plemons and Stanfield’s troubled relationship is deepening, little of this comes through in the scenes between the two actors. It would have been interesting to explore how an act of implied White civility could engender trust in a scene where Mitchell invites O’Neal to his home and offers him the good Scotch; however, the scene ends with some clunky dialogue about money.
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We also spend an inordinate amount of time within the FBI. While Sean Bobbitt’s cinematography and editing are excellent, these sequences aren’t nearly as compelling as anything that involves the Black Panthers and their objectives. It was clear from watching “MLK/FBI” that J. Edgar Hoover was actively working against any attempt by African-Americans to force the United States into racial and economic equality or to acknowledge its racial and economic sins. In this scene, Hoover is played by Martin Sheen, who is wearing so much makeup that he appears to be a melted candle, and he has the film’s worst scene, in which he stops the momentum cold with dialogue that refers to the Korean War, protecting one’s family, and the possibility of Mitchell’s eight-month-old daughter dating a Black man. Hoover is played by Martin Sheen, who is wearing so much makeup that he appears to be a melted candle, and Plemons appears to be as taken aback as the rest of the audience.
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I think “Judas and the Black Messiah” would have worked better if the emphasis had been on O’Neal earning Hampton’s trust rather than on O’Neal himself. I’ve seen those FBI plotlines done better in a million other movies, but when we’re with the Black Panthers, this film really takes off and becomes something special. And it’s not just Kaluuya’s outstanding performance; Dominique Fishback also appears as his girlfriend, Deborah Johnson. As a result of their flirtatious back and forth, they develop a believable romance that is made all the more bittersweet by our knowledge of how it will conclude. It makes you wish Fishback had more screen time because she is so good, especially in her heartbreaking final scene.
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Additionally, King is skilled at depicting harrowing scenes of violence. Among the film’s most memorable subplots is one involving a character described as “a square,” who eventually breaks down and resorts to a vengeful shoot-out with the police. The scene in which the man’s mother laments that this will be his legacy is particularly moving. Brutal scenes like these, as well as others, foreshadow the Panthers’ final confrontation with a law enforcement department that had clearly broken the law.
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Stanfield gives his all in a role that is underwritten and keeps him at a distance from the action. It’s an uphill battle that I found admirable, despite the fact that I didn’t get a chance to learn more about his motivations. What is his attitude toward serving as an informant? Is he only interested in making money? His actions muddy the waters of intent on more than one occasion, but we never get a sense of how emotionally affected he may be, nor is the bond between O’Neal and Hampton strong enough for us to feel the full emotional weight of the FBI’s figurative thirty pieces of silver on our shoulders. However, this is a film that necessitates a deeper level of consideration than the Sundance Film Festival review deadline will allow. I want to sit with it for a while longer, look at it again, and think about a few things. That’s something I feel I owe it. For the time being, however, it is only a marginal recommendation with some caveats.
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This review was submitted as part of the Sundance Film Festival’s official documentation. Beginning on February 12th, the film will be available in theaters and on HBO Max for a month.
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