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STORY: A petty car thief Bill O’Neal becomes an FBI informant and agrees to infiltrate a black revolutionary party called ‘The Black Panthers,’ in exchange for his freedom. But will he come
out unscathed from the consequences of his actions, at a time when white-supremacy and police action against the black revolutionaries was at its peak, in the late-1960s Chicago? REVIEW: In
‘Judas and the Black Messiah,’ the thrill starts building right from the start, when a 17-year-old William "Bill" O'Neal (LaKeith Stanfield) is lured by the FBI Special Agent
Roy Mitchell (Jesse Plemons) to sign up for a suicide mission. This, at a time when America was reeling from the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy and cities
were rocked by riots, campuses were rapt by peace protests, and the Vietnam War was raging on. With all of this in the backdrop, co-writer and director Shaka King puts his undivided focus on
the fight between the American law enforcement and the revolting blacks, whose recurring chant was ‘revolution is the only solution.’ The result is cinematic brilliance, in telling an
engaging true story with elements of surprise and unpredictability. Although, set in the 1960s, the film’s context resonates a lot with the current situation in America and the spiffy
biopic, somehow manages to achieve moral equivalence between the obvious rights and wrongs. Case in point, when a white FBI agent convinces his black informant to gather intelligence on the
Black Panthers Chairman Fred Hampton by saying, “The Panthers and the (Klu Klux) Klan are one and the same. Their aim is to sow hatred and inspire terror.” As betrayal and bloodshed follow,
it’s up to the audience to decide, whose side they are on. Either ways, it’s a powerfully told tale with strong performances marked by restrain and realism. Daniel Kaluuya’s pitch-perfect
accent and rousing performance reign supreme, as he depicts Hampton’s mastery as a prolific orator and a young revolutionary, who can incite and inspire, all at the same time. Just before
the end credits roll, we see just how close Kaluyya comes to the real Hampton with his striking resemblance and imitation. Lakeith Stanfield comes a close second as he deftly portrays the
vulnerability of a 17-year-old black car thief, who’s in constant conflict between thinking only about himself and his own people. Dominique Fishback plays Fred’s resilient girlfriend
Deborah with an ease that immediately makes you root for her. Among the white actors, Jesse Plemons’ terrific act as conniving FBI officer Roy Mitchell stands out. His face is difficult to
read and it’s impossible to comprehend what he really feels or believes in and that is the mastery of his measured performance. Martin Sheen is very convincing as the racist, ruthless and
manipulative FBI Director Edgar Hoover. These performances are further enhanced by Will Berson and Shaka King’s solid screenplay that talks to its audience through the nuanced cinematography
(Sean Bobbitt) and detailed setting of the 1960s and an immersive background score. Most of the dialogues are simple yet effective. Like when Deborah tells Fred she likes her coffee ‘black
and sweet,’ or when Fred explains his young audience, the difference between reform and revolution. These dialogues and the way they are delivered, clearly explain the reasons behind the
rise of the young black leader Fred Hampton. Pitched as a biographical, ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’ is almost like a hagiography of its protagonist Fred Hampton. But the way Shaka King
maneuvers through one of American history’s darkest chapters, it’s not only convincing and fascinating but also hugely riveting.