Judas and the Black Messiah review: An ambitious and unflinching approach to storytelling

As we edge ever closer to the 2021 awards season, Shaka King swoops in at the last second, dropping a major possible contender right at our doorsteps just days before most major groups announce their nominees. With its impressive cast, sharp sense of self, and plenty of momentum coming from its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, Judas and the Black Messiah has all the right tools to make a serious splash. Although it comes narrowly close to being something truly spectacular, jagged pacing and characters that leave a little to be desired hold Judas and the Black Messiah back from being one of our odds-on favorite films for 2021.

Starring Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith Stanfield, Judas and the Black Messiah tells the incredible true story of William O’Neal, a low-level Chicago con-man who worked for several years as an informant on the Black Panthers for the FBI. After O’Neal (Stanfield) is caught using a fake FBI badge to boost cars, he’s offered a plea deal: go undercover as a member of the Black Panthers, report back on everything they say, and his record is wiped clean. O’Neal initially agrees, eager to get out of the FBI’s sights, but as he spends more and more time as a member of the Black Panther party and forms a close bond with the chapter’s chairman, Fred Hampton, the line begins to fade between what’s real and what’s fake about his bond with the Panthers.

What sets Judas and the Black Messiah apart from the typical historical drama or biopic is that strange way in which is plays with tone and pacing. Written by director Shaka King and Will Benson, the film makes ample use of its 2+ hour runtime. It dives headfirst into the action and continues at breakneck speed for the entirety of the film. On the one hand, such a fast-paced approach to storytelling allows for a heightened sense of paranoia and tension during the viewing experience; the film feels chaotic, even harried at times, which does quite a bit to help the viewer get into the mindset of O’Neal, who spends virtually the entire film vibrating out of his own skin in nervousness, and is constantly glancing over his shoulder for incoming threats.

The script’s speediness also plays well off of King’s flare as a director. Judas and the Black Messiah is chock full of sudden cuts, clever shots, and lively music cues — and the script’s fast-paced nature helps to keep that consistent high-octane tone throughout, barreling through moments and twists that some films may have centered their entire narrative around. Unfortunately, though, the script’s willingness to breeze past smaller moments and dive straight into the next plot development often comes at the expense of properly establishing or developing character.

Judas and the Black Messiah is very deliberately framed as being told from O’Neal’s point of view as opposed to Hampton’s or even an objective one, and much of the film’s emotional weight is (theoretically) derived from O’Neal’s inner turmoil as he bonds with the Panthers and forms genuine connection while also becoming more deeply embroiled in the FBI’s scheme to murder Hampton.

Stanfield, to his credit, does a commendable job of bringing depth and life to O’Neal with the surprisingly lacking amount of development the character himself is given. Despite being told from his point of view and his name being in the film’s title, O’Neal strangely feels like an outsider to his own narrative. He’s more pushed around and floated from place to place as opposed to being an active participant of the goings-on around him.

Stanfield nails the most devastating moments of guilt and vulnerability, especially in the film’s final act, but the film’s insistence on moving at a breakneck pace robs the audience of getting to spend time with and learn about who O’Neal is as a person. Knowing that the filmmakers set out from the beginning to make Judas a story ultimately told by and about O’Neal is frustrating, because as much as he jumpstarts the actions of the narrative, he himself receives a surprising lack of attention considering he’s the protagonist.

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Faring much better is the Jesus Christ to his Judas Iscariot: Fred Hampton, played by Daniel Kaluuya. Where O’Neal is a more reserved, anxious type who spends most of the runtime as an observer, Hampton is a commanding, exhilarating figure whose mere presence is enough to liven up a room. Kaluuya delivers Hampton’s famous speeches with such gumption and passion that it’s incredibly easy to believe the main we’re watching is the leader of a radical political movement. He’s that convincing in the role.

While towards the back of the film he is fleshed out via his relationship with his future wife Deborah (played with incredible vulnerability by scene-stealer Dominique Fishback), Hampton too sometimes suffers from King’s urge to move from one scene to the next without waiting for moments to truly settle or dig deep into the audience’s consciousness.

Still though, even with its main players lacking in depth, Judas and the Black Messiah still makes for an exhilarating ride. Everything in terms of aesthetics is spot on, from the costumes to the cinematography to the title cards to the ingeniously incongruous score from Mark Isham. The supporting players also do quite a bit of the heavy lifting to help establish and maintain such an erratic, vibrant tone — not just the aforementioned Fishback, but also Jesse Plemons as shifty FBI agent Roy Mitchell and Dominique Thorne as Judy, one of the Panthers’ most trusted members

With an unflinching spirit and ambitious approach to storytelling, Judas and the Black Messiah is a unique, fast-paced look at the civil rights movement and the Black Panthers. Though the film often gets in its own way by placing story above character, there’s still more than enough power and wit to make it a gripping and worthwhile outing.

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Judas and the Black Messiah is currently playing in theaters and streaming on HBO Max.

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