Certificate: 15
Running time: 126 minutes
Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons, Dominique Fishback
Directed by: Shaka King
The story: William O’Neal agrees to a plea deal with the FBI to act as an informant and gather intelligence on Fred Hampton, the chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party.
The verdict: Judas and the Black Messiah is a film that has been on my radar for awhile and upon seeing the cast for this, I knew that it would undoubtedly feature some terrific performances. Of course that has proven to be true and the film has gotten a myriad of awards’ attention. In particular, the central performances of Daniel Kaluuya as Fred Hampton and Lakeith Stanfield as William O’Neal really stand out and it is easy to see why both actors have earned Oscar nods in the Best Supporting Actor category. Both actors are brilliant and are so in completely different ways. Kaluuya is measured and stoic but has such a powerful presence. Whereas, Stanfield is far more frenetic and displays a complex of emotions.
Another aspect I really liked about Judas and the Black Messiah was the cinematography. There is definitely a visual artistry to the film and I noticed small but significant changes in colours, tones and light - for example the scenes featuring the Black Panthers and the FBI were different visually. This worked really well and really evoked the time period.
Where it becomes slightly tricky for me in regards to this film is that I just felt that something was lacking. This almost feels rather inexplicable given what I’ve said above. But there was more than one occurrence where my engagement was lessened and somehow I lost the emotional impact of the film during the middle act. I also think that I found the narrative a bit too streamlined - I wanted to know more about the characters on a personal level. In fact I felt that I was craving that. Instead the film is very focused on the FBI/informant aspect.
However, Judas and the Black Messiah definitely delivers its punch in the gut with its ending and you will certainly leave this film feeling all the anger and sadness that you can expect when confronted with such blatant and disgraceful racism.
Overall, a powerful film, an important film and a visually strong film. However, it was the performances which elevated it the most for me.
The rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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