Film ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’ is an Intriguing Piece of Cinema

Let’s get this out of the way. Judas and the Black Messiah is an excellent movie. The performances are riveting on many levels. Before we get into that, it is necessary to touch upon the history of The Black Panther Party. It was a political organization founded by college students Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton, October 1966 in Oakland, California. The party was active in the United States from 1966 until 1982. The Black Panther Party’s core practice was its open carry armed citizens’ patrols that monitored the behavior of officers in the Oakland Police Department. They would challenge police brutality, eventually leading governor Ronald Reagan to change gun laws to restrict open carry. In 1969, a variety of community social programs became the anchor for the organization. The Party instituted the Free Breakfast for Children Programs to address food injustice, and community health clinics for education and treatment of diseases including sickle cell anemia, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS. The party is often inaccurately dismissed as a hate group, which could seriously affect the reception of this particular story that took place within the Illinois chapter of The Black Panthers.

Judas and the Black Messiah is a film about the betrayal of Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya), chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party. Criminal William O’Neal (Keith Stanfield) is arrested in Chicago after attempting to steal a car while posing as a federal officer. He is approached by FBI Agent Roy Mitchell, who offers to have O’Neal’s charges expunged if he works undercover for the bureau. O’Neal is assigned to infiltrate the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party (BPP) and its leader, Fred Hampton.

Hampton was a young black activist who quickly rose through the ranks until his murder, at the age of 21. Kaluuya captures the charisma of Hampton, while simultaneously portraying the unassuming but passionate love of Deborah Johnson’s life. Johnson (wonderfully played by Dominique Fishback), is more than Hampton’s muse. She is his guide and voice of reason, eventually maintaining his legacy. While it may be simple to just hate William O’Neal for his role in this story, Keith allows us to enter O’Neal’s struggle of self-preservation with empathy. We are also allowed a peek behind the curtain as the FBI engages in questionable practices to destroy The Black Panthers. Judas and the Black Messiah is a must-see, particularly in the racial climate that we are in. While it is an intriguing piece of cinema, you can’t help but also feel that it is a mirror to the world that we currently live in.

Movie Rating: 5 stars.

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Mark Vodery

Mark Vodery was a Managing Editor of Occhi Magazine. A member of the National Association of Black Journalists, he studied Mass Communications at West Chester University. As an experienced session vocalist, he has toured the world and had several original works featured in film and television. Mark has been involved with several New York City projects including Feel the Music! and Make Music New York. An avid music lover, he takes pride in his extensive vinyl collection and spends his free time helping to facilitate service projects that benefit at-risk youth, through artistic philanthropy. Mark is based in New York and resides in New Jersey with his lovely wife and two daughters.

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