Judas and The Black Messiah (2021)

This film's thrilling premise based on an FBI informant infiltrating the Illinois Black Panther Party in the late 1960s is very interesting and thrilling. It tackles an important event in history that many people such as myself had not heard of this story. More recently, there have been several films that have tackled touchy subjects like this one. Spike Lee's "BlacKkKlansman" is another film like this very similar in premise but also this film may be as dark as the latter but this film is a thrilling yet haunting painting of a time in history that impacted so many people. 

Leads Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith Stanfield are electric in the film. Kaluuya's "Fred Hampton" the leader of the "Illinois Black Panther Party" is a disturbing look into this organization's chapter and he gives a phenomenal yet disturbing performance as the controversial figure. On the other hand, Stanfields role as an "FBI" informant infiltrating the "IL BPP" is just as electric as the lead. His performance is gripping and compelling albeit a fantastic part of the film. The two also have excellent chemistry on screen and that should be one of the highlights of the film. 

Director Shaka King makes an utterly dark yet very informative film that intrigues audiences. Her vision is one that is detailed and is a haunting feature to behold. King also pens the screenplay. Her script is very detailed and compelling enough to have an emotional connection that makes the film more gripping than it already is. 

With all this being said, one of the few issues I had with this film, is that I found it slightly confusing and I couldn't relate to or understand the complexities of this film overall. Don't get me wrong, it's a good movie, I just felt like this film is made for the Black community because they could possibly relate to this film and its subject matter. 

One of the most recent films to first debut on a streaming platform while simultaneously releasing in theaters, this film is extraordinary for some, but others may not find this film as relevant as it is to other people. This film is good, but I just can't say that this is a film I absolutely related to or quite frankly enjoyed. 

Poster courtesy of Warner Bros. 

Rate: B- 

Director: Shaka King

Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, LaKeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons 

MPAA Rating: R (for Violence & Pervasive Language)

Runtime: 2 Hours and 6 Minutes