R-Rated Crime Thriller On Max Reveals Shocking True Story Of American History

Judas and the Black Messiah was written and directed by Shaka King, with additional writing credits by Will Berson and the comedic sibling duo Keith and Kenny Lucas.

The Lucas brothers originally drafted numerous scripts for a planned Fred Hampton biopic, though many Hollywood insiders deemed the subject matter to be unfilmable, as Hampton’s legacy is rife with controversy, and implicates the American government in a series of truly disgusting crimes. 

Luckily, Shaka King was able to get on board after receiving the blessing from Hampton’s estate, which left many history buffs cautiously optimistic about the tone and scope of the movie.

Despite the film’s major success, some critics have claimed that Judas and the Black Messiah doesn’t go far enough into Hampton’s political ideology, specifically in regard to his overt Marxist views on commerce.

Still, the film that we received does an excellent job painting a picture of the man Hampton was and the revolutionary ideas he popularized, as well as providing widespread coverage of his gruesome demise at the hands of the United States government. 

The narrative of Judas and the Black Messiah centers on the FBI counter intelligence program which was instituted in 1968 with the intention of disbanding and unraveling the Black Panther Party.

Chairman Fred Hampton successfully ran the Black Panthers of Chicago by handling a number of pro-black social programs, such as free breakfast operations for children, book sharing clubs, and a Rainbow Coalition which united warring gang factions in the area under the banner of social progress.

Hampton was widely revered for his impeccable oration, which made him something of a prophet to fans of the civil rights movement.

Early in Judas and the Black Messiah, the audience is introduced to William O’Neal, who is arrested for attempting to steal a car in Chicago. As he prepares to face his charges, O’Neal is approached by an FBI agent who promises him immunity in return for assisting the bureau with taking down the Black Panthers.

While O’Neal is partially disgusted at this proposal, his self preservation prevents him from turning it down, and before long he finds himself infiltrating the Panthers at a series of rallies.

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Daniel Kaluuya and Uncut Gems‘ LaKeith Stanfield lead the cast of Judas and the Black Messiah as Hampton and O’Neal, respectively, providing career-defining performances that landed each of them Best Supporting Actor nominations at the Oscar. Kaluuya especially offers an inspired performance, which makes it kind of a no-brainer that he took home the Oscar for his role.

While I don’t want to spoil the plot of the critically acclaimed film, suffice is to say, Fred Hampton suffers a similar fate to many black civil rights leaders in the end, and perishes far before his time.

Still, as the real-life Fred Hampton is quoted as saying, “you can kill a revolutionary, but you can never kill a revolution.” This much is evidenced by the excellent performance of Hampton’s 2021 biopic, as well as the resilience of his message, which is still being fought for today.

If you’re interested in watching Judas and the Black Messiah, you should be sure to stream the exceptional film on Max as soon as possible.