What made me finally watch a history movie…
*long whistle* I didn’t want to see this film at first. No way. I couldn’t believe they had the audacity to even make such a film. I was familiar with story of the Black Panther Party and I had SOME kind of knowledge about the story of Fred Hampton and William O’Neal. I didn’t know WHO the police informant, aka snitch, was by name but I knew the story. Once I saw the commercials, I was intrigued enough to Google the story. THAT was the eye opener, O’Neal’s age, the speed of the entire police operation, J. Edgar Hoover’s influence and personal involvement. *shakes head* I was dizzy with confusion and empathy for a young, Black kid being threatened with years incarceration by corrupt FBI and the obvious fallout of another government attack on an entire race of people. MY people. Yoo, reading O’Neal’s story blew my whole mainframe and I actively recruited others to watch it as well.
I won’t spoil it but I gotta say SOME-thing!
DAMN! Dem boys are GREAT at playing themselves! You know what I mean. Daniel Kaluuya is bomb in everything he does but he plays a similar character in everything. He’s always the misunderstood and determined character, fierce, passionate and intelligent. From Get Out to Black Panther to Judas and the Black Messiah, that’s who he is. LaKeith Stanfield? Always shady, shifty, sheisty and very much capable of going good or bad. This is no knock but a #Salute to their craft. Daniel Kaluuya was everything I imagined Fred Hampton to be. I kept Googling his speeches and trying to find if what he said matched the actual words of Fred Hampton. That’s good. When you keep watchers running to research stuff as the movie is playing. LaKeith Stanfield’s portrayal of a scared kid pretending to be tough was legendary. I LOVED his work. I saw his growth and confusion as William O’Neal. I disagreed with his actions but the story was so well done that I OVERstood his situation. I felt every shitty decision that lead to Fred’s murder and could point out factors that forced his hand, influenced his choices. It completely affected my image and understanding of ONE character, William O’Neal.
Final Ratings and MY comparables
Mid-A (94 of 10)
I learned a new appreciation of a TRUE character in Black History, differentiation between civil right groups and cemented facts about the Civil Rights Movement. Acting was ON POINT, costumes authentic and music was amazingly meshed with each atmosphere and condition illustrated by the film.
Full preview of Judas and the Black Messiah
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