112. Judas And The Black Messiah; movie review
JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
Cert 15
125 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong language, violence, racism
Could this really have happened during our lifetime?
We knew that atrocities such as those highlighted in Judas And The Black Messiah had taken place in South Africa but in America, the so-called beacon of democracy?
This seems astonishing - and yet I should not be surprised because more than 50 years after these events, people of colour are still marginalised.
Shaka King's stunning movie is another showcase of the incredible talents of Daniel Kaluuya who gives a fantastic portrayal of Black Panther Party chairman Fred Hampton.
The film is set in the late 60s when Bill O'Neal (Lakieth Stanfield) is arrested in Chicago for stealing a car and impersonating an FBI officer.
He is offered a deal - several years in jail or to work undercover for the bureau and infiltrate the Black Panthers.
This actually happened - O'Neal was recruited by Roy Mitchell (Jesse Plemons) and managed to become Hampton's driver.
Therefore, as the title suggests, the movie has a double-edged focus, concentrating both on Hampton's leadership of the Black Panthers and on the uncomfortable informant.
Many of the issues raised in Judas And the Black Messiah run in parallel to those in The Trial Of The Chicago 7.
It is presented that the FBI led by J. Edgar Hoover (Martin Sheen), seemed to fear genuinely that the socialist leanings of the Black Panthers would lead to a threat to democracy.
However, they did not appear to grasp the contradiction of clamping down on them with surveillance and violence.
Certainly, King's film is gripping enough to be worthy of its multiple Oscar nominations (Kaluuya and Stanfield are both in the supporting actor category).
However, I did have one quibble - we struggled to understand what was being said some of the time (a combination of old people's hearing and the American accents) and Virgin Media was not running subtitles.
Nevertheless, it is an important and excellent movie.
Reasons to watch: Intense true story
Reasons to avoid: Isn't always easy to understand
Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 9/10
The final word. Daniel Kaluuya: "You just want to serve this story and want the story to be out there. I want people to see it. It’s a shame. I always imagine it as a communal experience. The world we live in is the world we live in.” Indiewire
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