“I’m a revolutionary” – Fred Hampton always shouts loudly in one of the most electrifying scenes of Judas and the Black Messiah, the new Warner Bros. movie. which premieres this week in theaters and simultaneously on the HBO Max platform.
This phrase has become the rallying cry of the leader of the Chicago chapter of the revolutionary organization “The Black Panthers”, which today advocates for the rights of the African-American community in the United States. The strong drama stars Daniel Kaluuya as Hampton (nominated for a Golden Globe and Critics Choice for Best Supporting Actor for this show) and LaKeith Stanfield, who plays William O’Neal, a murderer. turned into an informant. activist-led organization to dismantle it.
At the height of the fight for civil rights, this organization became the target of the FBI, especially Hampton, which they considered a threat to national security, persecuting him until his assassination at the age of 21.
The exceptional film produced by Charles D. King (Fences, sorry to bother you) and Ryan Coogler (Creed, Black Panther) and directed by Shaka King (Newlyweeds), focuses on presenting how the stories of these two characters intersect and the impact it has on each other’s personal motivations.
The storyline of King and Will Berson presents the stories of both characters and how the fixation of the top FBI staff eliminated this group with the clear intention of dismantling it by highlighting the institutional corruption and racism that still resonates with force. The director immerses us in the historical context from the beginning thanks to an efficient archive image to give the project a greater veracity, with images of riots, the assassination of Martin Luther King and an interview with O’Neal, who gives birth to this shocking story that has place in the 1960s.
Judas and the Black Messiah join a select handful of films released in recent months that explore issues of inequality, injustice, and oppression from different perspectives, such as the big ones. The Chicago Trial 7 Yes Mangrove with similar emotional effects.
In addition to a great direction that presents with equal balance both stories, artistic direction, music selection and great cinematography; the shows are fascinating, especially Kaluuya, who performs terribly by combining Hampton’s passion and eloquence during public events, while showing more restraint in his private life, such as in his relationship with Deborah Johnson, a militant who he becomes a partner, a character who provides the emotional center of the relationship; impacting public life in Hampton in a magnetic show by Dominique Fishback (The power of the project), a young actress with a promising future.
On the other hand, Stanfield (Come out, knives, I’m sorry to bother you) continues to demonstrate why he is one of the most complex young actors of this generation. The complex duality of O’Neal’s character, who even in his coldness, shows signs of humanity when divided between loyalty to his people and commitment to his superiors, makes his performance authentic and at the height of Kaluuya.
Watch the trailer: