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One of the movies that got everyone talking about right now is Judas and the Black Messiah. Itwas directed by Shaka King and produced by Ryan Coogler (who directed the Oscar-nominated movies Creed and Black Panther), and stars Daniel Kaluuya as former Black Panther Party chairman Fred Hampton, who leads a crusade against the police department, which he feels has subjugated his people far too long. This leads to the FBI getting involved and hiring an informant, played by Lakeith Stanfield, to get closer to Hampton and get more information on him, promising him less of a punishment for a crime he committed in exchange.
I recently viewed this movie on the HBO Max streaming service (this is one of the films that gained a simultaneous release in theaters and on streaming). So, is it worth a recommendation? I definitely think so.
There are a few issues I took with the film, such as it being hard to follow at times and almost every white person in the film being portrayed as hateful towards African Americans. However, these, to me, are smaller issues, because the movie as a whole definitely has good aspects to it. Being a fan of movies, I can usually overlook the few questionable aspects of a film that I watch.
The acting is very good in this film. Daniel Kaluuya, who we all knew could put on a good performance from his work in films like Get Out (a role for which he was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar) and Black Panther, is very good in his role as Hampton. For me however, Lakeith Stanfield steals the show.
Stanfield, who plays the informant hired to dig up dirt on Hampton, plays up the emotion of a character torn between his friendship with Hampton and his commitment to the Black Panther Party and his deal with the devil, and I am convinced that he is the best performer in the movie. I expect Kaluuya to be nominated for an Oscar for his role, but the Academy shouldn’t sleep on Stanfield’s performance, either.
Additionally, the tension in the film made me engaged and eager to see what happened next, even though I knew what was inevitably going to occur, as the film is based on a true story. To me, the tension in this film, the look (which gives the film more of a period piece feel), and the occasional transitions between real-life footage and actual biopic all really had a feel similar to Spike Lee’s film, Blackkklansman, another black history movie that I enjoyed.
Overall, I definitely recommend Judas and the Black Messiah because it has good acting, enough in it to keep one engaged, and provides a good history lesson for those eager to know more about black history.
