Judas and the Black Messiah

Judas and the Black Messiah

Initial release date: February 12, 2021

*currently playing at the Dietrich thru 4/15

Studios: Warner Bros. Participant Media Bron Creative

Tagline: You can kill a revolutionary but you can’t kill the revolution …

Plot: FBI informant William O’Neal infiltrates the Illinois Black Panther Party and is tasked with keeping tabs on their charismatic leader, Chairman Fred Hampton. A career thief, O’Neal revels in the danger of manipulating both his comrades and his handler, Special Agent Ray Mitchell. Hampton’s political prowess grows just as he’s falling in love with fellow revolutionary Deborah Johnson. Meanwhile, a battle wages for O’Neal’s soul. Will he align with the forces of good? Or subdue Hampton and The Panthers by any means, as FBI DIrector J. Edgar Hoover commands?

Cast

Daniel Kaluuya (Queen & Slim) - Fred Hampton

LaKeith Stanfield (Knives Out) - Bill O’Neal

Jesse Plemons (El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie) - Roy Mitchell

Dominique Fishback (Netflix’s Project Power) - Deborah Johnson

Ashton Sanders (Captive State; The Equalizer 2) - Jimmy Palmer

Algee Smith (Detroit; HBOs Euphoria) - Jake Winters

Darrell Britt-Gibson (Just Mercy) - Bobby Rush

Lil Rel Howery (Netflix’s Bad Trip; Tom and Jerry) - Wayne

Dominique Thorne (If Beale Street Could Talk) - Judy Harmon

Martin Sheen (Netflix’s Grace and Frankie) - J. Edgar Hoover

Amari Cheatom (Roman J. Israel, Esq.) - Collins

Writer(s): Will Berson and Shaka King

Director: Shaka King

Rated R for violence and pervasive language (126 minutes)

“Judas and the Black Messiah” is a compelling and captivating feature that is quite intriguing. This feature film delivers remarkable performances and also has some very gripping dramatic moments.

This incredibly crafted film really deserves all the recognition and the nominations that it is receiving. The performances from lead actors Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith Stanfield are really incredible and have also been recognized.

The last twenty minutes of the film is also extremely nail-biting and can be a little hard to watch. Also, after the film’s conclusion, there are a few tidbits about what happened to some of the people that were portrayed in the feature.

If you haven’t had the chance to check out this convincing historical drama, I really recommend it. Even if you do not get a chance to see it while it’s playing at the Dietrich for a week, “Judas and the Black Messiah” is really worth the cost to rent.

Here are a few interesting tidbits about “Judas and the Black Messiah”:

• Director Shaka King has described the initial idea for the film as “‘The Departed’ inside the world of COINTELPRO (Counter Intelligence Program).”

• LaKeith Stanfield stated in an interview that he needed therapy after his portrayal of William O’Neal.

• For the first time in Oscar history, a film with all black producers are nominated for Best Picture.

• This film mentions Bobby Seale’s humiliation in court during the Chicago trials (until Seale’s case was severed). The trials were the focus of “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” where Fred Hampton appears in a supporting role (played by Kelvin Harrison Jr.). Also, that film mentions the assassination of Fred Hampton.

• Kenny and Keith Lucas (worked on the film’s story) began pitching the idea of a Fred Hampton biopic to A24 and Netflix in 2014.

• Principal photography began in Cleveland, Ohio on October 21, 2019 and production concluded on December 19, 2019.

• “Judas and the Black Messiah” had its world premiere on February 1, 2021 at both virtual and in-person screenings.

ACCOLADES

Academy Awards - Best Picture; Best Supporting Actor; Best Original Screenplay; Best Cinematography; Best Original Song (all nominated)

Critics’ Choice Awards - Best Supporting Actor (won); Best Acting Ensemble (nominated)

Golden Globes - Best Supporting Actor (won); Original Song (nominated)

National Board of Review - Top 10 Films of the Year