Judas and the Black Messiah

Director: Shaka King
Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, LaKeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons, Dominique Fishback, Ashton Sanders, Lil Rel Howery, Martin Sheen
Distributor: Universal Pictures International
Runtime: 126 mins. Reviewed in Mar 2021

| |

Rating notes: Strong violence and coarse language.

US Civil Rights drama.

For so many reasons, the 1960s was an extremely turbulent decade. A decade of change, a decade of challenge, a decade of revolution. This was especially true of the United States. It was a decade of civil rights, of Martin Luther King, of the March on Washington, of assassinations. Worldwide 1968 was a particularly significant year – in the Vietnam war, student revolutions in Paris, uprisings in Czechoslovakia.

And, 1968 in the United States was a key year, not only in the election of Richard Nixon but in the protests, especially in Chicago, as recently seen in Aaron Sorkin’s The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix). Meanwhile, in Chicago, there were movements of protest and revolution with the Black Panthers. This film takes us into the local chapter of the Black Panthers, the leadership of the local chairman, Fred Hampton. He is the Black Messiah or at least that was the hope of his followers.

In fact, the film opens with a speech by J Edgar Hoover (Sheen) declaring that the Black Panthers one of the chief threats to American society. It is a fiery, antagonistic speech, complete with racist tones. Later, there will be another appearance by Hoover interrogating one of his agents, fomenting racist sentiments so that he will pursue Fred Hampton, asking the agent to imagine his daughter bringing home a black man to the house… (It is rather hard to recognise through the strong prosthetics, Sheen as Hoover.)

At the end, it is something of a surprise to find that Fred Hampton was only 21 when he was killed. He is played by British actor, Daniel Kaluuya, 30 years old at the time of filming, (an interesting phenomenon to see British actors effective in key black American roles – eg David Oyelowo, Selma; Chiweitel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave; John Boyega, Detroit; Delroy Lindo, Da 5 Bloods; Idris Elba, The Wire). Kaluuya won a Golden Blobe as Best Supporting Actor, particularly strong in two sequences where he speaks to (preaching and exhorting) his followers.

However, the first word in the title is Judas. And the film opens with a 1989 television interview with Bill O’Neal (Stanfield) what his children will think of his activity with the Black Panthers. In 1967, O’Neal was a petty criminal, caught and interviewed by Agent Roy Mitchell (Plemons). In return for dropping the felony charges, Mitchell recruits O’Neal to him to infiltrate and spy on the Black Panthers. O’Neal joins the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party, eventually becoming director of security. And, yet, O’Neal bonds with Hampton and is in sympathy with the Black Panthers’ philosophy. This is a fine performance by Stanfield as a callow and conflicted man.

The film takes us inside the organisation, Hampton and his loyal supporters and friends. Betrayed by his Judas, Hampton spends some time in jail, is released pending an appeal.

The racist ruthlessness of Hoover, American fears about black uprisings, lead to violence, and the ruthless elimination of Fred Hampton.

There are some sombre pieces of information before the final credits, some footage and photos of Hampton and his friends.

Peter Malone MSC