A powerful biopic that unfortunately still remained relevant and resonant in this day.
The film showcased a ferociously passionate and magnetically charismatic Daniel Kaluuya as Fred Hampton, and a more subdued and nuanced - but nevertheless equally involved - performance by Lakeith Stansfield.
Directed and co-written by Shaka King, this film depicted the rise and death of Hampton through the lens of Stansfield's William O'Neal, a FBI informant planted within the Black Panther. We witnessed O'Neal's rise within the structure of the movement, his internal struggles between his community and the authority, and between his political apathy and greed. At the same time, we were also offered glimpses of the many faces of Hampton, from passionate freedom fighter and savvy political player to loving partner and humble leader.
All these gave the two leads a rich field to play with and they sure went all out. The accolades were well deserved and Kaluuya is assured of a Best Supporting Acting nomination more so than Stansfield just because the former had the showier role. It will be tough for Stansfield to break into the Best Actor category given that he will be competing for the remaining two spots (Riz Ahmed, Anthony Hopkins and Chadwick Boseman are more or less confirmed nominees at this point).
Comparisons with Aaron Sorkin's The Trial of the Chicago 7 will be inevitable given the intersection of their story, but where Sorkin told his story from a mainly white perspective that was also slightly clinically detached, King's Judas wore its heart on its sleeve and the emotional weight hung heavy. However, on the other hand, Chicago 7 was also more defined with regard to its political leanings whereas Judas never seemed to land firmly its political believes. It remained more of a dramatic biopic with political leanings rather than a political drama.
Steve McQueen's Mangrove - the first instalment of his Small Axe anthology - was a stellar example of a film that successfully managed to marry the politics with the drama without sacrificing authenticity, passion and beliefs.
Shoutout also goes to Dominique Fishback who gave a striking and memorable performance as Hamptom's girlfriend Deborah Johnson.
Cinematography was by Sean Bobbitt and it was evocative of the period. The film's score was by Mark Isham and Craig Harris, and was unfortunately not very memorable. However, the end-credits song, "Fight for you" by H.E.R. was a powerful anthem that resonated and echoed the preceding 2 hours.
Judas and the Black Messiah was a powerful film with great acting and a story that deserved to be told. It is just unfortunate that things seemed to have changed so little since then.
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