Judas and the Black Messiah (2021) Review 

With 6 Oscar Nominations earlier this week Judas and The Black Messiah has been gaining great praise and today I found the time to watch it and here is my review for it. The premise of the film tells the story of how a police informant infiltrated The Black Panther organisation and became connected to the leader. 

Main Character

Daniel Kaluuya is a great actor and he plays the leader of The Black Panther movement Fred Hampton and he is fantastic. You see the real passion he has for this character and film and it makes Hampton such a great person and Kaluuya gets everything out of it with a charismatic performance that was well worth is Oscar Nomination. LaKeith Stanfield plays the FBI informant Bill O'Neal and he is also superb, you see how his character is really stuck between two worlds and his loyalty and freedom. He gives a really strong performance that works well along Kaluuya's and both of them really shine and he also deserves his nomination. 

Supporting Characters

Jesse Plemons plays the FBI agent and he is really good, Plemons is just a great actor and it is nice to see him getting more roles, especially interesting ones like in this film. Dominique Fishback plays a member of The Panther movement and she is great, a really powerful performance from a pretty inexperienced actress and it is a bit of a shame that she didn't get more recognition for her really strong performance. Even Michael Sheen is great in his small role in this film, playing a pretty bad guy effectively. The cast is easily the best thing in this film and this is one of the best acted films in recent times and it deserves the appreciation it gets. 

Story 

The story is interesting, showing the development of The Black Panther movement and the people that are involved in it. Also the character development is great, due in large parts to the performances but the plot is well showed and well respected with the real life events that took place. However, I can't deny that at times the story felt a bit too vast, it focuses on certain characters and elements that are underdeveloped and it does bog the film down and take away the focus off our two main characters for a portion of the film. 

Script

The script is really well written, the dialogue is really strong and the drama hits the levels that it very much needs. Also the film does a really good job of showing the group develop and how our two lead characters are portrayed and showed to people from all different ways of life. 

Style

The film has some heavy hitting scenes, especially showing the clash between the Black Panther group and the police force. It is thrilling, engaging and at times pretty horrific showing these ideologies going against each other and just how bad it was. Though I also think this film is a bit slow with its pacing, boring isn't the right world but it definitely drags at times and it does hold the film back from really hitting the highest of levels. 

Overall

Overall, this is a great film that does a really good job in showing this movement and the really strong performances involved. Judas and The Black Messiah is a film that should be seen and if you are interested in the story behind The Black Panther movement then this is one that will be up your alley. 

Rating - 8/10