“You can kill the revolutionary, but you can't kill the revolution.” – Fred Hampton
The film "Judas and the Black Messiah" captures a social movement meant to be seen, felt and told. It tells the powerful ascent of the charismatic leader Fred Hampton, deputy chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party (BPP), and William O'Neal, a petty offender, turned FBI informant whose involvement resulted in the death of Hampton in 1969.
Written and directed by Shaka King, along with director Ryan Coogler, who co-produced by "Black Panther," the film focuses on one piece of history. Yet, the movie anchors us through a period reminiscent of today: harassment, infiltration and surveillance patterns. Except then, operations were led by FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, who developed COINTELPRO.
The film opens with footage of the 1960s: coverage of racial uprisings, speeches by Angela Davis and Huey P. Newton and an interview clip of O'Neal, played by LaKeith Stanfield. The flashbacks provide insight into the motivation and influence behind the radical voices of the BPP campaign.
The audience learns about the activist and revolutionary spirit that fueled the Black Power movement. There is a narrative divide between Hampton and O'Neal. The necessity of self-defense materialized partly because of Hoover and his agents, who plotted to take Hampton down. Hoover, played by Martin Sheen, viewed Hampton as a threat – a prospective "Black Messiah" with the ability to mobilize the masses. And along with the Chicago police, he openly condemned Black empowerment. At the same time, another storyline is introduced, as scores of as sharp jazz melodies juxtapose slow, haunting horns.
Daniel Kaluuya plays a dynamic Hampton – a poet with a prowess for public speaking and mobilization. When the film focuses on Hampton, we see an organizer deeply rooted in methodology, passion and love for the proletariat and Black people. Their defense strategy is rooted in service to the community. They provide mutual aid like breakfast programs and medical assistance and orchestrate a united front with the Rainbow Coalition, a racially integrated organization formed with activist groups, Young Patriots and the Young Lords.
The romance shared with his fiancé Akua Njeri, formerly known as Deborah Johnson, is beautiful and tragic. As Njeri recites a poem, recognizing how their efforts challenge the status quo, she carries a deep fear for her unborn child knowing the risks of being a revolutionary.
Through O'Neal, who serves as "Judas," we see a person caught between two worlds – though both lead to an ominous ending. Special Agent Roy Mitchell, played by actor Jesse Plemons, offers O'Neal an unsettling proposition and cracks a deal: incarceration or betrayal. As O'Neal becomes more invested with BPP's cause, eventually promoted to the ranks of the chief of security, he finds himself torn.
O'Neal decides to work with the FBI and provides information about the layout of Hampton's apartment, which results in the shooting death of Hampton and Comrade Mark Clark.
Hampton was only 21 years old when 12 officers shot and killed him with more than 100 shots fired. Clips of an interview with O'Neal from a documentary series, "Eyes on the Prize II," showed the real-life informant discussing his role with the FBI. When the episode premiered in 1990, O'Neal took his own life.
Aftermath: Njeri survived, and so did her child, Fred Hampton Jr., who followed in his father's footsteps as an advocate for justice.
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Picture