Black Panther Fred Hampton was just 21 years old when he was killed during a police raid in 1969. This awards-season drama is based on those true events but don't expect a prestige historical snoozer — it's a riveting popcorn thriller too.
Judas and the Black Messiah focuses on two complicated men — the Messiah Fred Hampton, the chairman of the Panthers' Illinois chapter and the Judas William "Wild Bill" O' Neal a crook enlisted to infiltrate the Chicago group. Like any good gang or gangster movie, the tension builds as the rat gets closer in and closer to getting caught.
The film delivers a pair of powerful performances by Daniel Kaluyaa (Get Out) as Hampton and LaKeith Stanfield (Sorry To Bother You) as O'Neal. Jessie Plemons (The Irishman) and Martin Sheen (The Departed) round out the cast as an FBI agent and J. Edgar Hoover.
Director Shaka King keeps the story to a tight moment in time and brings it to life in classic cinematic fashion. This was a fantastic film to find for free on HBOmax.
In a nutshell: It's hard to balance important history with cinematic thills, but this solid film pulls it off.
Award potential: Expect it to make the Best Feature Film list. Same for Best Actor. Kaluyaa lights up the screen with personality and will likely get an nod next month.
The Ten Buck Review: Worth ten bucks.
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