by Shane Conto
What film is more timely and poignant in our society right now than Judas and the Black Messiah? With Black Lives Matter and Antifa making their presence known across our nation fighting for equal representation in our society, this tension is just as powerful as it was at the time of this film. Now on HBO Max and in theaters, it tells the story of a man who is roped in to being an informant for the FBI to spy on the inner workings of the Black Panther Party. The government wants to shut down the possibility of a new leader to step up for the civil rights movement. Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya), the Chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party, is the target and Bill O’Neal (LaKeith Stanfield) is the mark.
This is an important story and a sensitive one at that so can director Shaka King do this story justice?
He obviously has a connection to it and certainly honors the memory of Fred Hampton. The film balances different tones as we weave in tender and intimate moments of Hampton and his family and friends along with violence and shocking moments of oppression. Does the movie also have moments of government agents figuratively twirling their evil mustaches? Sure does. But here is the trickiest thing: who does the film really focus on? At the core of the film, Bill O’Neal is the main character. But should he be? His arc and story is nowhere near as impactful as Hampton’s. Nothing against Stanfield (who I will discuss later), but the scenes focusing on him specifically lack the depth and engagement that is featured in the scenes focusing on Hampton. But how could they measure up? Hampton (through Kaluuya’s performance) is powerful and commanding and lights up the screen. But the intense confrontations are beautifully shot with long takes and impeccable tension. The knife keeps twisting as the violence rocks you, especially the climax, which is shocking and emotional, as it sparks so much anger and fear in the audience.
How does the script hold up to the energy and power of Shaka King’s directing?
The stage is set with a framing device of archival interview footage that sets the scene so well for the rest of the film (and so does the back end in terms of wrapping things up). The first act of the story is structured with a lot of Stanfield’s O’Neal, and that is fine. The story really feels like it kicks into gear once Hampton shows up. The scenes in which Hampton speaks to groups of people are well written and impactful. The words are just as powerful as Hampton’s presence. Then you have so many great intimate scenes written between Hampton and his family which work so much better than the scenes between Jesse Plemons and Stanfield sitting at restaurants. Do they become more intense and complex as the film goes on? Yes, so those scenes feel like they earn themselves. Judas and the Black Messiah has plenty of characters and moving pieces and does overall a good job of balancing them.
But what else can take the crown for this film over the performances?
Kaluuya… I could leave it at that. Can he be more magnetic? Can he be more charismatic? Can he be more empathetic? No, because this performance is incredible. Kaluuya is one of the most underappreciated actors in film and really needs to get more attention. Hampton can command seas of people in this film because Kaluuya makes it possible. Stanfield might not be as powerful or commanding but he sure knows how to portray the paranoia-infused existence that O’Neal lives. Plemons gets the most screen time out of the rest of the cast, all of whom come to play. He is talented but does his story need to be focused on so much? That might not matter that much but Plemons does the best with the opportunities he is given.
Will Judas and the Black Messiah be making an impact this awards season?
Kaluuya will definitely be getting plenty of love for his film-stealing performance. But is this quite Best Picture material? This film has some storytelling flaws when it comes to its focus. But in a thinner field, this one definitely deserves some love. That fact that this awards question is worth fielding means you should make sure to check this one out.
Grade: B+