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Though social media and other media outlets might have you believe otherwise, things are rarely completely simple and straightforward. Life is often about the complexities—about the different shades of gray. Judas and the Black Messiah explores the complexities of one leader’s story—and the choices of the man who was brought in to keep him from rising to power.
Judas and the Black Messiah tells the story of Chairman Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya), leader of the Illinois Black Panther Party in the late 1960s. With the FBI’s notorious head, J. Edgar Hoover (Martin Sheen) concerned about the rise of a “Black Messiah” to rally the African American community, Agent Roy Mitchell (Jesse Plemons) enlists car thief Bill O’Neal (LaKeith Stanfield) to join the Panthers as an informant. But while Bill expects the job to be a simple one, he soon finds himself working deep within the organization.
As Bill works to build the trust of Hampton and the others in the party, the film takes a look at the complexities of the Panthers and their young leader—this outspoken revolutionary who encourages people to arm themselves to fight against oppression but who also cares more about the people than anything else. He reaches out in his community, working to provide education and food for local kids. He fights violence and hatred, but he does so by trying to work together with other groups in the community—including groups that you definitely wouldn’t expect—to create what he calls the Rainbow Coalition.
The film offers a fascinating look at the good, the bad, and the troubling aspects of the relationship between Hampton, the community, the local police, and the FBI—as well as his girlfriend, Deborah Johnson (Dominique Fishback). But there’s so much here to explore that some aspects get a bit lost along the way. Though Bill’s story is supposed to be central to the film, it simply isn’t as interesting as everything going on around him. The character is surprisingly bland, and even though he plays a major role in Hampton’s story, the other characters are more dynamic, more compelling. And after building up to a powerful conclusion, Bill’s story seems to fizzle out.
Fred Hampton’s story is certainly an eye-opening one—one that’s both complex and compelling. But in telling his story, Judas and the Black Messiah tries to capture too much—to tell too many aspects of the story—and the result is a captivating film that feels a little too muddled in the end.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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