Judas and the Black Messiah
Directed by Shaka King
- jackmeatJuly 8, 2025My quick rating - 7.7/10. I only vaguely remember the tail end of court cases regarding this. Even then, I was far too young to understand the magnitude of what they were. But as anyone knows, the exact same thing that was causing issues in the 60s is the same shit that is happening today. The main focus of the Black Panthers' political party was police brutality. Sound familiar? The focus of this movie was more of a story, that of the mole who was more or less forced into giving information to the police to try and get rid of them. Lakeith Stanfield gives a standout performance as the informant (competing with Daniel Kaluuya as Hampton, a Chicago branch leader). His inside info sets up the eventual assassination of the heads of the Chi Town chapter and the dissolution. The flick takes accounts from the actual Bill O'Neal, who gave a rare interview decades earlier, clips of which are shown to lead in and wrap up this tale. To see such a powerful story and how it still relates today to the police use of lethal force is a grim reminder of just how long this has been an issue. From top to bottom, the movie looks right, flows extremely well, and generally deserves the Best Picture winner. My prediction is locked.
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Judas and the Black Messiah Trivia
Judas and the Black Messiah was released on February 12, 2021.
Judas and the Black Messiah was directed by Shaka King.
Judas and the Black Messiah has a runtime of 2h 5m.
Judas and the Black Messiah was produced by Shaka King, Ryan Coogler, Charles D. King.
Fred Hampton, 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.
The key characters in Judas and the Black Messiah are Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya), Bill O'Neal (LaKeith Stanfield), Roy Mitchell (Jesse Plemons).
Judas and the Black Messiah is rated R.
Judas and the Black Messiah is a Biography, Drama, History film.
Judas and the Black Messiah has an audience rating of 9.5 out of 10.
Judas and the Black Messiah had a budget of $26M.
Judas and the Black Messiah has made $6.4M at the box office.