Summary
Already marking itself as one of the best films of the year, here is a picture that is both a historical document and a fiery fist in the air for our times.
The life and death of Fed Hampton, best known as chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party, has been well covered in documentary and narrative feature. From the contemporary Death of a Black Panther: The Fred Hampton Story, used in a civil suit following his death, through to a portrayal in The Trial of the Chicago 7, he remains as simultaneously controversial and revered as the title of Shaka King’s film would imply.
After being arrested in Chicago for impersonating a federal officer to steal a car, William “Bill” O’Neal (Lakeith Stanfield) seems like he is out of options. At least until FBI Agent Roy Mitchell (Jessie Plemons) tasks him with infiltrating the Black Panther party and incriminating Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya).
As O’Neal becomes more embedded in the organisation, he begins to sympathise with the powerful oratory of Hampton and his community outreach programs. Yet as Hampton organises the multiracial Rainbow Coalition, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover (Martin Sheen) personally targets the leader and violence escalates. O’Neal begins to feel threats from all sides, and must decide if self-preservation is worth betrayal.
There are many moving parts that make this compelling story vital in 2021, but it’s the singular performance of Kaluuya that acts as a lightning rod at the centre of the storm. After rising to prominence with Get Out, and impressing with supporting performances in Black Panther and Widows, this (together with 2019’s Queen & Slim) is the starring vehicle that should put him at the top of casting lists.
Stanfield is also excellent, the titular Judas figure who continually makes his choices and denials and has to live with them. Dominique Fishback — as Deborah Johnson, Hampton’s girlfriend — holds much of the emotional thread of the piece, especially during the climactic finale. Much will be said about Sheen as Hoover, but honestly: it’s hard to look past the end of his prosthetic nose.
Style and photography. In the eight years since his last feature Newlyweeds, filled with television episodes and shorts, King has unquestionably arrived as a filmmaker. With its double-bass driven soundtrack, mixture of archival footage and it’s fiercely unrelenting politics, here is a film that makes you sit up and pay attention. The last 20 minutes of this film is some of the most gripping in recent screen memory.
Engaging and fresh from beginning to end, JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH is a historical document while being unmistakably immediate. As the world continues to wake up to the lived experience of people of colour, this is a film that feels far fresher than it ought to be.
2021 | USA | DIRECTOR: Shaka King | WRITERS: Will Berson, Shaka King | CAST: Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons, Dominique Fishback, Ashton Sanders, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Lil Rel Howery, Algee Smith, Martin Sheen | DISTRIBUTOR: Warner Bros. | RUNNING TIME: 126 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 11 March 2021 (AUS)
