Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)

Manuel São Bento February 2, 2021

★ 9/10

If you enjoy reading my Spoiler-Free reviews, please follow my blog @ https://www.msbreviews.com Judas and the Black Messiah was a last-minute addition to this year’s Sundance, which basically changed every list about the most anticipated films of the festival, including my own. The buzz surrounding its Oscar chances, the remarkable cast, and mainly its important narrative based on true events were more than enough reasons to generate an undeniably powerful hype. When I watch movies inspired by real people and/or true stories, I want them to teach me about the historical moment they’re depicting. I want to finish my viewing sessions and know more than what I did at its beginning. I want the film to be enlightening, thought-provoking, and, most of all, impactful. I’m just a young white man living in Portugal with no previous knowledge of who Fred Hampton was or what he did. T…

garethmb February 2, 2021

Racism has all too often reared its ugly head in recent years with the rise of extremist groups who felt emboldened by recent political climates. As violence leads to protests which can themselves become violent; the perpetual cycle seems unending. In the new film “Judas and the Black Messiah”, audiences are told the real-life story of Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya) who runs a local chapter of The Black Panthers in Illinois in the 1960s. The rise of what is perceived as militant groups in the wake of the killings of Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King has caused increased police and Federal actions which have caused many in Hampton’s community to feel they are at war with the authorities and fighting for their very survival against a system of injustice and systemic racism. When car thief William O’Neal is arrested, FBI agent Roy Mitchell (Jesse Plemons); offers O’Neal…

SWITCH. February 18, 2021

★ 9/10

'Judas and the Black Messiah' (a bloody brilliant title that took a while for me to figure out) is a true powerhouse of a film - not just because it echoes the current climate and the Black Lives Matter movement, but for its standout performances from Lakeith Stanfield and Daniel Kaluuya and its fantastic direction from Shaka King. - Chris dos Santos Read Chris' full article... https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-judas-and-the-black-messiah-revolutionary-true-story-of-the-black-panther-party-in-the-1960s

Louisa Moore - Screen Zealots March 9, 2021

★ 5/10

It’s a bummer when a film has an important historical story to tell but the finished product just isn’t very good. Such is the case with “Judas and the Black Messiah,” director Shaka King‘s take on the true story of charismatic Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya) and FBI informant William O’Neal (LaKeith Stanfield), the man who infiltrated the African-American organization in Illinois in the late 1960s. It’s an interesting account of true events about two very important figures in our nation’s history, and the racial justice issues are just as relevant today. But topical material doesn’t always result in an award-worthy (or entertaining) movie. There are plenty of things to appreciate about the film’s execution, including King’s confident directorial style and the knockout lead performances from Kaluuya and Stanfield. Kaluuya has massive shoe…

Andre Wilfred Sanders June 17, 2023

★ 7/10

I haven't seen a dramatic movie that talks so clearly about the Black Panther Party, clearly its chief and its members are the conspiracy that was hatched by party members. The movie talks about the rise and fall of the Black Panther movement. If you are a fan of dramatic films with a flavor of documentaries, you should watch the movie. For a period almost centuries ago, Americans with black skin suffered from obtaining their rights, and this was also forbidden to be reflected in a dramatic, dramatic or documentary film. In America on the issue of racism and addressing it, perhaps because of the demonstrations that took place in America after the killing of George Floyd by the American company and the return of racism again to the American street. The film begins in 1969, one year after the assassination of Martin Luther King, King. This assassination changed many of the party's pr…

badelf May 19, 2026

★ 8/10

Shaka King's _Judas and the Black Messiah_ is a powerful, meticulously crafted film about state-sanctioned murder. The story it tells is true, which makes it worse. In 1969, Fred Hampton, the 21-year-old chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party, was assassinated in a pre-dawn raid orchestrated by the FBI, carried out by Chicago police, and made possible by William O'Neal, an informant who had infiltrated Hampton's inner circle. The film follows both men, the leader and the betrayer, and it understands that this isn't just history. It's a blueprint that's still in use. Daniel Kaluuya's performance as Hampton is phenomenal. He doesn't play Hampton as a saint or a symbol; he plays him as a man, brilliant and charismatic, capable of galvanizing a room with his oratory but also young, in love, sometimes uncertain. Kaluuya captures Hampton's magnetism without softening his radicalism. T…