Judas and the Black Messiah | Film Review
**Spoiler Free**
Whew! I was not going to write a review on this one, but the ending left me extremely emotional, even though I knew it was inevitable.
In this film local criminal, William O’Neal, is an FBI informant who infiltrates the Black Panther Party to provide intel on Fred Hampton.
First of all BRA-VO! This movie deserves all of the accolades and awards it received. Congrats to Daniel Kaluuya (Who played Fred) but Lakeith deserves his awards too. Lakeith truly embodies his character and evokes real emotion, to the point where I kind of feel bad for him. He’s painted as this villain but he too is in survival mode. Can we blame him? (We can, but let’s empathize a little bit). The acting in this film is absolutely stellar. It is shot in such a beautiful way and the storytelling is seamless.
This movie is very educational and we are able to see how the Black Panther Party impacted the community. I learned some things I was not previewed to and it is refreshing to see this particular story told. I knew the end of the story was not pretty but I did not know how it all went down. Watching the end was tough. The film explains how the real Bill O’Neal carried on being an informant for years to come.
Bill did one interview and we see the original footage at the end, which I appreciate. He shows no real remorse for his actions and he seems selfish and arrogant. Although he presents himself in this light, you can tell that he indeed felt guilty for what his decisions.
Learning that Fred was only 21 years old when he was assassinated hurt me deeply. He was truly a man for the people and he believed unity was the way toward freedom. So bright at a young age and a leader no doubt. His work continued after his death, but we are still living in the same country under the same government he was fighting against. That reality is something we can’t escape from.
This film is a must see! It is an educational and motivating masterpiece. So far it is definitely the best film I have seen this year. It’s only March of course but this one hits different. I feel angry, hurt, disappointed but also happy this story is being shared across the world.
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