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Eric Atreides

Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)

Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)  

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With an approach that contextualizes an oft-ignored piece of history in vivid, visceral fashion, Judas and the Black Messiah is an electrifying viewing experience that works at once as a tense thriller, an exceptionally compelling biopic, and a stirring period piece whose attention to contemporary parallels deepens its power. Under Shaka King’s sharp, focused direction, the two major thematic strands work beautifully with one another. As a biopic covering the short life and large legacy of Black Panther Party chairman Fred Hampton, it’s an exceptionally engaging and moving dramatization of history that feels immediate and relevant despite being set several decades in the past. And as a crime thriller when it deals with Bill O’Neal, the conflicted FBI informant and Judas of the title, it’s a tense, white-knuckle affair even if the viewer goes in already knowing the outcome the film builds toward, and also a stirring and haunting examination of how O’Neal struggles to square his own need for survival with the knowledge that he is helping to sabotage the work of a man he comes to believe in. King moves each scene along with a sense of confidence and bravado well beyond what his relatively small list of prior credits might suggest, and he deliberately frames much of the action in such a way that it calls clearly to many contemporary parallels without ever feeling heavy-handed. The result is a film that moves from scene to scene with searing power and purpose, brilliantly illustrating Hampton’s impact on both societal and personal levels while also successfully pulling the audience into O’Neal’s struggle with his conscience. The cast – chock full of actors who have shined in previous roles – lives up to the promise of the material they have been given with mightily impressive work across the board. Though he has been subject to category fraud in the COVID-protracted award season, Daniel Kaluuya is a clear lead and delivers a new career best as Hampton. In a performance that cleverly fuses the affability of his Get Out performance with the can’t-take-your-eyes-off-him magnetism of his Widows performance, Kaluuya is arresting in every single scene. He develops Hampton in such a way that it is all too apparent why he was so successful as a leader and a unifying force. Lakeith Stanfield is understandably in Kaluuya’s shadow as co-lead O’Neal, but he turns in another remarkably well-realized and internalized performance. Stanfield’s exceptional abilities as an expressive actor are utilized to perfect effect here, especially in the midst of a rally scene where Jesse Plemons’s FBI agent spots him from a crowd and his facial expression alone communicates how torn he is between saving his own skin through informing and committing more completely and honestly to Hampton’s cause. The standout among the supporting players in the ensemble is Dominique Fishback as Deborah Johnson, Hampton’s romantic partner. Her chemistry with Kaluuya early in the film is convincing, and her scenes as the narrative progresses become increasingly poignant; Fishback plays the role to maximum effect while making all of it feel perfectly natural. Taken as a whole, Judas and the Black Messiah is the best kind of biopic: one that successfully conveys the importance of its subject, but does so in a manner that feels vivid and vital. No matter whether one counts it as a 2021 release or part of the Academy’s extended 2020 eligibility window, it’s one of the very best films of the year.
 

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One of the better biopics to come along in quite some time. Movies of this sort will always be relevant, and this one hits harder than most with all the Black Lives Matter headlines today that remind us of how far we clearly haven't come. Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield should both be in the Oscar conversation, while Jesse Plemons and Dominique Fishback (looking forward to seeing more of her in the future) provide strong support. Superb direction as well: I was especially impressed by the shootout near the middle. It's not a perfect movie (it could have lost the scenes with Hoover, which mainly exist so Martin Sheen can engage in over-the-top makeup acting, to no ill effect), but there's no denying its power. A-

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