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Revolution needs death to spark. A simple man killed during a demonstration, a politician who really sides with the people, a prophet who preachs love and concord, it's always someone who tries to change things who get slaughtered by the inflexible system. Usually it happens because they're seen as threats by the governments and their death is used to cripple resistances and slay the will and hope of every person who's against it. It's always about politics and it's always more than that. It happens is countries where freedom of speech is non exixstent, where women are reduced to objects, where discriminations happen daily. We care about it for months but after that we tend to forget the past. The deaths of Malcom X and Marti Luther King didn't change that much, to be sincere. The only way to remember it is thorugh the books and the visual media. Cinema, in fact, is the mirror of our society and a portal on other possibilities. And, during certain periods, the industry decides to move it's attention toward social issues. We could say that this is a recent trend. Someone says that it's all done to follow a political agenda which tries to divert our attention from other issues, like the economic ones. For others is what is necessary to raise aweraness in our people, to codemn racism and homophobia. The Academy is doing it and this is why the 2021 Oscars have nominated movies like The Trial of the Chicago 7 and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. This is another movie of this kind.
PLOT
"Offered a plea deal by the FBI, William O'Neal infiltrates the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party to gather intelligence on Chairman Fred Hampton" or "FBI is crooked and there's no freedom of speech".
SCRIPT
It's structured in a very competent way. The opening credits are used to set up the manin issue underlined by the movie. I like how Bill O'Neal is introduced and how we get to know is point of view, which is bold, because his side has been heavily criticized by the Afro-American community. I appreciate how Fred Hampton is developed as the Black Panther's beacon, a likeable and charismatic character who gets the audience invested in his struggle. The movie uses he inevitable doom of the character to show us the level of corruption and wickedness present in the FBI, which is strongly antagonized. Maybe the motion picture could be considered biased because it offers us just one side of the events but it's hard to care about a bureau who kills its own citizens. I think that every character gets enough time and good dialogues to grow up and have a satisfactory arch. This is limited to the Afro-american one, because the others are used only as obstacles and it's hard to say something about them. I think that there won't ever be a filmmaker who is able to portay both sides of a dispute. That's why historic and biographic dramas are tough to get right.
Script: 7/10
ACTING
Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith Stanfield give us one of the best performance. Kaluuya portrays Hamton with charisma, verve and pathos. Stanfield is O'Neal, it's his character, and at times he's able to deliver something more than Kaluuya. He's abel to establish his character as cocky, brave, stubborn, bold, trustful and conflicted. We, as an audience, are supposed to hate him but the actor does a great job at making us feel sympathy for him. The other performers are good, consider the little amount of screentime they've to shine. Martin Sheen as Hoover is weird at first but it works after a while. Jesse Plemons fits his role but I don't find is acting particularly remarkable.
Acting: 8/10
PHOTOGRAPHY
The movie has good shots but I don't find them interesting because there isn't a lot of symbolism, all of it is in the script which winks to the Passion of Christ. Colours don't have a relevant role and most of the scenes are acceptable only from a technical standpoint, not an artistic one.
Photography: 6/10
EDITING
Like the music, it starts well and then it becomes less interesting, with some moments of genius. The good shots are reserved to the characters but the set doesn't shine this much. There isn't slow motion but some tracking shots are present as well as left to right, and vice versa, shots. I like the first shot of O'Neal, a tracking one which is used to showcase his behaviour and the thing which drive him.
Editing: 6/10
SPECIAL EFFECTS
As any other movie based on characters and realism, the effects are just a few and imperceptable. Luckily it's like that because it could've lost a lot in terms of quality.
Special Effects: 6/10
SOUNDTRACK
I liked the first act because the music is on point. It dwindles during the movie and it becomes irrilevant in the end. Such a good set up is blown up because the director didn't want the music to be invasive. I understand it but the movie cause of that tends to drag a bit, hurting the cinematic experience.
Soundtrack: 6/10
COSTUMES
The characters clothes are coherent with the story's setting and their roles. Nothing exceptional is done with these.
Costumes: 6/10
CONCLUSION
Script: 7/10
Acting: 8/10
Photography: 6/10
Editing: 6/10
Special Effects: 6/10
Soundtrack: 6/10
Costumes: 6/10
AVERAGE: 6,42
A good movie with some flaws and incredible performances which isn't able to keep up the soundtrack and editing quality set up during the first act. It's remarkable becuause it adresses a vile act perpetrated by the government but it feels too much as a movie which was made to fits in a political agenda rather than a motion picture intended to remember the death of a virtuous man who fought for the rights of his people.
Director: Shaka King
Screenplay: Will Berson, Shaka King
Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons, Dominique Fishback, Ashton Sanders, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Lil Rel Howery, Algee Smith, Dominique Thorne, Martin Sheen
Soundtrack: Mark Isham, Craig Harris
Cinematography: Sean Bobbitt
Running Time: 126 minutes
Budget: $26 million
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Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya), a young, charismatic activist, becomes Chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party, putting him directly in the crosshairs of the government, the FBI, and the Chicago Police. But to destroy the revolution, the authorities are going to need a man on the inside.
I didn’t know about the real story behind the film, so i had no idea how the film would turn out. Now, i know a tad more so it was an educational piece aswell. Through out the way the film was crafted never felt predictable to me. Particularly the last act was jawdropping. A perfect example of extraordinary filmmaking. Shaka King helmed the directors chair like a true king and the screenplay by him & his co-writer Will Berson was razor-sharp. DP Sean Bobbet deserves a shoutout for his work here, some truly stunning shots for the entire film, setting the mood which elevated the picture into whole new heights.
What do you get when you put two guaranteed future oscar-winning actors as leads in a thought-provoking, relevant and poignant ”inspired by true story” film? The answer is, gold. I was going back and forth for the entirety of the film that was it LaKeith Stanfield or Daniel Kaluuya who had the better performance in the film. Both, with arguably the strongest roles of their careers but portraying entirely different types of characters. Clearly Kaluuya as the newly appointed chairman Fred Hampton offers more of an wow-factor with each scene more powerful than the previous one. But to me personally what might’ve shockingly made a bigger impact was the work of Mr. Stanfield, who brings life to the character by quiet and up to a point very naturally subtle performance. In conclusion, i’d say both of them in regards to this film would deserve Oscar nominations. Jesse Plemons was great in portraying this crooked FBI agent and one casting that felt weird on paper was Martin Sheen as J. Edgar Hoover but surprisingly it worked. Not all of the supporting characters are utilized enough but everyone does their best with what their given to work with.
I guess the easiest recent film to compare this with would be Sorkins Trial of Chicago 7. Though these two are different beasts. Sorkin’s film imo is more accessible and overall an easier watch due to his usual tropes. Whilst Black Messiah is heavier, by miles and to me the better film of those two.
Judas and the Black Messiah is an acting galore. A deeply moving, powerful and most of all relevant film that demands to be seen. 50 years has gone and it feels like stuff like this could easily happen now too. A biopic that strays away from most of your usual biopic tropes, raises some serious moral questions and manages to truly be it’s own thing. A film, that could’ve easily been 90 minutes longer as there is so much interesting plotlines here, but i didn’t mind that the film was jammed into 2 hours making it so fast paced considering it’s genre. A shocking real life infernal affairs. Highly
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Judas and the Black Messiah is an important film. It's well-made and entertaining, but far more significantly, it's informative. Judas and the Black Messiah covers the story of Fred Hampton and his impact on the political climate of the 1960s. It also focuses on his close friends and how they were personally affected by his rise. Because this narrative is so fundamental, relevant, and untold today, it's a must-see for its sheer insight. Plus, Daniel Kaluuya is absolutely electric in his portrayal of Hampton. Kaluuya is so natural yet irresistibly dynamic, giving Judas and the Black Messiah an extra must-see ingredient.
Around Kaluuya and the plot, Judas and the Black Messiah is fortified by a strong supporting cast and skilled filmmaking. Sound is used to evoke emotion, and the editing creates a potent bookend. The cinematography uses dark colors, specific focus, and slick framing to produce a moody atmosphere. The music heightens the era, culture, and tension. The production design is elaborate and immersive. Lastly, the direction is sure-handed, capturing a complex tone of rebellion, empowerment, and grief. Overall, Judas and the Black Messiah is a well-rounded film that is transformed by its necessary message and stirring lead performance.
Writing: 10/10
Direction: 9/10
Cinematography: 8/10
Acting: 10/10
Editing: 8/10
Sound: 8/10
Score/Soundtrack: 9/10
Production Design: 9/10
Casting: 8/10
Effects: 7/10
Overall Score: 8.6/10
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