Every now and then you see a film that you hope is going to be great. Not because you’re a fan of lore, but because you know it is a story that should be told and you hope it gets the message across. And that was my hope for this film.
Judas and the Black Messiah is a story about Fred Hampton and his demise. He was a great orator who inspired for the NAACP before going on to try to help The Black Panthers. At a time when their leaders were jailed he rose to lead the organization in their absences. He had the revolutionary idea to unite communities. Their goals weren’t about color and uniting those with he same goals not only increased their numbers and strengthened their voice, but it gave them a credibility and visibility that would not only validate their cause but send a message of love. This became a problem for government officials who then had to take action. With an inside man, William O Neil, they were able to get information that would later lead to his end. The Black Messiah is a reference to CoIntelPro documents stating the need to prevent a Messiah figure from leading the people and the word revolution is used quite a bit because that was Fred’s message. And he made you say it until you believed it. “I AM A REVOLUTIONARY”.

The film overall was ok, I thought it hit the mark a little. I think it could have given more information about Fred and The Black Panthers and less empathy to the turncoat who gave him up. The storyline was ok, but it fell short for me. Really, I had just hoped for more. More of his message and life and less of the drama they used for speculation. The acting was good, but that is what you expect from Daniel Kaluuya. LaKeith Stanfield makes you feel for William O Neil, as a great actor. But, I have to admit that knowing the story made that really hard so I applaud him. I would have liked better makeup on Martin Sheen, but…The West Wing, so he can do no wrong with me. Sorry for the bias, but at least I own it. The direction, cinematography, lighting, color palette and all that make no difference in this film. There is nothing innovative or influential. They really are pretty par for the course. But, I will admit that I liked the real life clip at the end of O Neil’s interview sometime after the incident.

Would I recommend the film? Do I think it was an accurate representation? Sure, if you want an overview that takes a few liberties that may or may not have happen. It isn’t full of lies and has some good information. But, it isn’t something I would watch if I wanted to learn more about Fred Hampton or the events that took place that day. You see, there is something very valuable missing. Something impactful that was glazed over. Something that will burn in your brain if you see the images and something that is only given in the film as a couple lines of text. The apartment Fred Hampton lived in with his fiancee was shot 82 to 99 times. The only shot fired by a Panther was a shot that went in the air when the guy on security watch was shot in the chest and he fired into the roof. With a total of four people, one now dead, a squadron of police rained bullets into that apartment. Fred threw himself into his pregnant fiancee to save her and when he was alive and crawling after they shot him to make sure he died. Photos of the apartment and tours were given to show just how much ammunition was used. A man can to unite communities into a voice that asked the government for better regulation of police brutality and education for impoverished communities. This was the government’s answer.