Judas e o Messias Negro

So let's start with the good. The cinematography and period setting is top notch and really puts you in the era. The acting is very good and helps with holding together a porous story.

Now for the bad. I really really wanted to love this movie. But...If you're looking for a biopic of Fred Hampton, this ain't it. Plain and simple. If you're looking for a movie that tells you more than you already knew about an understated important figure in black history, again this ain't it.

What you will get is a movie about an FBI informant who's motives are questionable at best, that happens to have Fred Hampton featured in it. If you're not versed in the names of people in Hampton's inner circle, you will be confused and have a hard time remembering who's who, as characters come and go constantly, with virtually no character development.

The movie is entertaining for the most part as the acting is quite good. But the story itself is all over the place and some scenes are longer than they need to be. You won't know much more about the great Fred Hampton, than you did before you watched this movie. It's too bad because I was waiting for this one.

People will trip over themselves to give this positive marks, but as a student of history and someone who loves a good drama in a period piece, this movie missed a great opportunity for sure.

The FBI, led by J. Edgar Hoover, is focused on taking down the Black Panther Party and other leftist movements. Agent Roy Mitchell (Jesse Plemons) pushes car thief Bill O'Neal (LaKeith Stanfield) to be his informant and to infiltrate the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party. It is led by charismatic Chairman Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya) who is trying to improve Chicago and battle the racist police force.

There is an obvious connection to today's events. It's of its time and the present-day time. It's definitely taking a point of view but one can't really argue against it. For sure, it's slanted. Roy Mitchell is the key to finding balance but Jesse Plemons doesn't give him enough depth. He has one fascinating talk about Emmett Till. That's an interesting road to go for that character but it feels like he stops short. He turns into just another callous racist cop when he could be deeper. As for the other characters, Stanfield is the standout and Kaluuya is the saint. Both are great in their roles. This is a very compelling story and its relevance makes it more powerful.

I had no idea any of this actually happened, so it's great that a film was made about this. This is a powerful film that I would highly recommend.

Both are based on the true story which happened in Chicago in 1968 and 1969, so two movies give the whole picture of what it was like in Chicago in late 60s. Social oppression, protest in reaction, police's excessive force of use, discrimination against the weaker are the words to describe atmosphere around that time. It's interesting to compare and contrast how Fred Hampton is realized in two movies. Other than that, there are many things to compare and contrast both contents and the forms.

'Judas and the Black Messiah' is disappointing that the director could have done so much more with such an important historical figure (similar with 'The Trial of the Chicago 7'). The screenwriting is stretched and elongated. The momentum and the tension have to be built up for December 4th Monroe Massacre where all the powerful emotions burst. However, the director fails not only to build up but also to have a great ending.

P.S. History speaks that William O'Neal is still a weak coward then and now.

The two main acting performances really carry this film. Kaluuya and Stanfield both do tremendous work and make this film a compelling watch. It's a tough. depressing movie to watch, but it feels appropriately timed with its release. It's inevitable to compare this to another recent film containing some of the same characters, The Trial of the Chicago 7. While Chicago 7 is a more enjoyable watch and really zips along with energy, Judas is more unflinching in its reality and less "Hollywood." This isn't to say there aren't the typical story beats you expect in a film like this, but it overall feels more impactful.