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

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 13 wins & 50 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 | u.s. politics | 1960s | based on true story | 

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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 stated in an interview that he needed therapy after his portrayal of William O'Neal.

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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

Deborah Johnson: I did not expect you to be shy.
Fred Hampton: I'm not shy.
Deborah Johnson: [Scoffs] Okay.

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Connections

Featured in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Dwayne Johnson/David Kaluuya/Chris Stapleton (2021)

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Soundtracks

The Inflated Tear
Written and Performed by Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp.
By Arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing

User Reviews

Incredible performances throughout

My only complaint was for whatever reason the dialogue was super low on HBO Max. Kaluuya deserves an Oscar for his performance. Up until I saw this, I was sure Riz Ahmed for Sound of Metal would win, Kaluuya topped that performance. If this doesnt make you think about how far the US has yet to come w.r.t. race relations, then I cant help you.

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:

$4,500,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$4,627,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bron Creative, MACRO, Participant

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1