Silencing a black activist's voice
A movie takes a long time to get from idea to the screen. The creative process is often fraught with delays so it’s impossible to predict what the public’s mindset will be at the time of release. Sometimes a film may seem old-fashioned, other times ahead of its time. It’s rare that a movie hits theaters just when it coincides with real-life events, fueling public discourse. “Judas and the Black Messiah” does exactly that. Though it focuses on a Black activist of the 1960s, its themes reflect today’s social, racial, and political issues.<br /><br />Small-time Chicago criminal William O’Neal (Lakeith Stanfield), a young black man, faces five years in federal prison for impersonating an FBI agent plus 18 months for grand theft auto. Because he has no political beliefs, the FBI regards O’Neal as the perfect person to insinuate himself into the Black Panther party and report on its inner workings. Special Agent Roy Mitchell (Jesse Plemons) promises O’Neal his freedom if he infiltrates the Party and reports regularly on its and their leader, Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya). O’Neal will also be paid as an informant.<br /><br />O’Neal soon infiltrates not only the party but Hampton’s inner circle, and discovers that they are far different from the vicious picture the FBI paints. He sees Hampton as sincerely devoted to changing the unjust lot of black people in Chicago. Taking a path markedly different from that of Martin Luther King, he and the Panthers set up community programs to assist residents and draw diverse groups together in the cause of justice. He rejects many of the Panthers’ Maoist teachings in favor of providing free breakfasts for kids and educational and healthcare programs for the community. He refuses bodyguards, willing to sacrifice himself in the name of the cause.<br /><br />Nevertheless, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover (Martin Sheen) maintains that Hampton is a terrorist threat to the nation and must be stopped at any cost.<br /><br />O’Neal is the focus of the film, as his “thirty pieces of silver” conflicts with his morality. He demands to quit several times but Mitchell holds that long prison term over his head, so he reluctantly continues spying.<br /><br />Stanfield turns in a career-defining performance as O’Neal, who transforms from cocky, small time thug into a man of conscience. Navigating a relationship with Hampton and the FBI handler takes a toll. Not only is he in constant danger of being discovered, but he realizes he is instrumental in choreographing Hampton’s downfall. Stanfield is essentially playing two roles — O’Neal the man and O’Neal the Panther infiltrator — and he’s excellent at both.<br /><br />Kaluuya’s Hampton is fiercely determined, a dynamic public speaker and an inspirational leader, but soft-spoken in private. The actor is photographed from below when he speaks with Deborah, suggesting shyness, but when he’s in front of a group, he’s on fire, his eyes expressing his commitment to a just cause. He is charismatic, and that’s what frightens the establishment the most. People believe in him.<br /><br />Archive film of Hampton on YouTube shows his manner of speaking, which was rapid and passionate. Kaluuya, who was born in London of Ugandan parents, has done his homework and perfectly captured Hampton’s speech patterns and tone. For that very reason, however, it’s often tough for someone unfamiliar with that style to grasp everything he says.<br /><br />Director Shaka King tells the story in linear fashion. He has elicited two fine performances from Kaluuya and Stanfield, while portraying the FBI as obsessed with destroying Hampton as the face of the movement. If  Sheen’s Hoover had horns and a tail, he couldn’t have been depicted more sinisterly. The milieu of the 1960s is conveyed primarily through attitudes rather than visuals. The screenplay by King and Will Berson wisely makes O’Neal the dramatic center.<br /><br />“Judas and the Black Messiah” examines a time when the government used its power to crush the voices of protest while labeling as domestic terrorists those who were pursuing equality. The movie is clearly one-sided. The Panthers’ more violent history is downplayed to shed light on how, fifty years after the events in the movie, racial injustice is still very much a part of American life.<br /><br />Bonus materials on the R-rated Blu-ray release include two featurettes. A Digital code is enclosed on a paper insert.
The movie title "Judas and the Black Messiah (Blu-ray)," available on Movies & TV, has received an average rating of 4.7 from 6974 reviewers. 
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 {"Genre": "Drama", "Format": "Blu-ray, NTSC, Subtitled", "Contributor": "Zinzi Coogler, Poppy Hanks, Shaka King, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Dominique Thorne, Daniel Kaluuya, Ryan Coogler, Kim Roth, Aaron L. Gilbert, Amber Chardae Robinson, Algee Smith, Jeff Skoll, Anikah McLaren, Niija Kuykendall, Martin Sheen, Dominique Fishback, Sev Ohanian, Ted Gidlow, Amari Cheatom, Jesse Plemons, Jason Cloth, Lakeith Stanfield, Lil Rel Howery, Ravi D. Mehta, Ian Duff, Caleb Eberhardt, Keith Lucas, Will Berson, Kenneth Lucas, Ashton Sanders, Robert Longstreet, Khris Davis, Charles KingZinzi Coogler, Poppy Hanks, Shaka King, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Dominique Thorne, Daniel Kaluuya, Ryan Coogler, Kim Roth, Aaron L. Gilbert, Amber Chardae Robinson, Algee Smith, Jeff Skoll, Anikah McLaren, Niija Kuykendall, Martin Sheen, Dominique Fishback, Sev Ohania\u2026   See more", "Initial release date": "2021-05-04", "Language": "English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (DTS 5.1)", "Digital Copy Expiration Date": "June 30, 2022", "Aspect Ratio": "1.78:1", "MPAA rating": "R (Restricted)", "Product Dimensions": "5.28 x 6.73 x 0.59 inches; 2.05 Ounces", "Director": "Shaka King", "Media Format": "Blu-ray, NTSC, Subtitled", "Run time": "2 hours", "Release date": "May 4, 2021", "Actors": "Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons, Dominique Fishback, Ashton Sanders", "Dubbed": "French", "Subtitles": "Spanish, French", "Producers": "Ryan Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Zinzi Coogler, Charles King, Kim Roth", "Studio": "Warner Bros.", "Writers": "Kenneth Lucas, Keith Lucas, Shaka King, Will Berson", "Number of discs": "1"}

Here is a brief synopsis of the title : FBI informant William O'Neal infiltrates the Illinois Black Panther Party and is tasked with keeping tabs on their charismatic leader, Chairman Fred Hampton. A career thief, O'Neal revels in the danger of manipulating both his comrades and his handler, Special Agent Roy Mitchell. Hampton's political prowess grows just as he's falling in love with fellow revolutionary Deborah Johnson. Meanwhile, a battle wages for O'Neal's soul. Will he align with the forces of good? Or subdue Hampton and The Panthers by any means, as FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover commands?.