Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)

Bill O'Neal infiltrates the Black Panther Party per FBI Agent Mitchell and J. Edgar Hoover. As Party Chairman Fred Hampton ascends, falling for a fellow revolutionary en route, a battle wages for O'Neal's soul.

Director:

Shaka King

Writers:

Will Berson (story by), Shaka King (story by)

Stars:

Daniel Kaluuya, LaKeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 8 wins & 38 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Daniel Kaluuya	...	Fred Hampton
LaKeith Stanfield	...	Bill O'Neal
Jesse Plemons	...	Roy Mitchell
Dominique Fishback	...	Deborah Johnson
Ashton Sanders	...	Jimmy Palmer
Algee Smith	...	Jake Winters
Darrell Britt-Gibson	...	Bobby Rush
Lil Rel Howery	...	Wayne
Dominique Thorne	...	Judy Harmon
Martin Sheen	...	J. Edgar Hoover
Amari Cheatom	...	Collins
Khris Davis	...	Steel
Ian Duff	...	Doc Satchel
Caleb Eberhardt	...	Bob Lee
Robert Longstreet	...	Leslie Carlyle

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

black panther party | fbi federal bureau of investigation | fred hampton character | reference to racism | u.s. politics | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and pervasive language

Did You Know?

Trivia

LaKeith Stanfield and Lil Rel Howery previously worked together in The Photograph (2020) where they played brothers. Coincidentally, another one of their co-stars from that movie, Kelvin Harrison Jr. portrayed Fred Hampton in a separate film, The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020).

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Goofs

During the police raid on Black Panther headquarters the Chicago P.D. is depicted employing 1966 Ford full-size four-door hardtops. Police units at the time were universally sedans, which when Fords were from the "Custom" line. The Custom line did not include four-door hardtops.

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Quotes

Fred Hampton: I am a revolutionary!

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Connections

Referenced in WatchMojo: Top 10 Movies Coming to HBO Max in 2021 (2020)

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Soundtracks

I've Cried
Written by John W Rowin Jr, William T Walters and Melvin Brown
Performed by The Jhamels
Courtesy of Emphasis Records

User Reviews

Shocking but no Surprise...

... especially as the events portrayed continue to play out in various guises, in various nation states throughout the world today, the oppressors performing familiar rituals as olde as any you care to conjure. Great performances from LaKeith Stanfield and Daniel Kaluuya ensure this insight into prejudice, racism and control really does hit the mark and shames the so called land of the free.

Details

Official Sites:

HBOMAX Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 February 2021 (USA)

Also Known As:

Untitled Fred Hampton Project

Filming Locations:

Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,070,000, 14 February 2021

Gross USA:

$3,400,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,450,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bron Creative, MACRO, Participant

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1