Judas and the Black Messiah

Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, LaKeith Stanfield, Jess Plemons, Dominique Fishback, Ashton Sanders, Algee Smith, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Lil Rel Howery, Martin Sheen
Directed by: Shaka King
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
2021

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A black man (LaKeith Stanfield) infiltrates the Black Panther Party for the FBI, but starts to question his actions when he befriends their charismatic leader (Daniel Kaluuya).

Review:

Tim: After the brutal pandemic year of 2020, I've felt such a strong desire for great movies. This is undoubtedly due to the fact that 2020 had so few truly great films. In that context, I really wanted to love Judas and the Black Messiah. Unfortunately, the best I could do was really, really like it. Critics obviously loved it and it received an impressive 6 Academy Award nominations. I really enjoyed the movie, but I can't quite claim it's great. It does get awfully close, but falls just short.

The story is a powerful one and while based on true events from the 1960s, it's themes and messages resonant powerfully today. It's an important movie and as America wrestles with its own history of systemic racism, it's a film I hope more people watch. It educates us and reminds us of the long struggle of minorities to be accepted in the United States. It shows us that much has improved since the 1960s, but so, so much has not changed. For these reasons, I absolutely would recommend the movie. Shaka King directs a powerful, memorable movie. I don't want to take anything away from this effective film.

Shaka King does a fantastic job directing this film, there's no doubt about that. However, King is still quite early in his career. While he has a number of credits to his name, this feels very much like a director still developing his voice. There are tremendous moments in the film that suggest King can be great. However, the movie meanders too much during its 2 hour, 6 minute run time. This causes the film to feel longer than it actually is. It drags in places, which hurts some of its effectiveness. It's hard not to compare this movie to The Trial of the Chicago 7. That movie is a bit too stylized and slick, but Aaron Sorkin directs it with a masterful touch. This film doesn't have that same level of consistency. It's a bit too uneven. That doesn't mean King isn't able to craft some wonderful scenes, but for this movie to be great, it needed to be more focused.

I did like the story, but it feels like King wanders a bit. The central story is straightforward- a man infiltrates the Black Panther Party for the FBI and feels his allegiances shift as rises in the ranks. It's a fascinating, complex story. It's not always told in the most effective way. The movie is really about two men, played brilliantly by both Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith Stanfield. Part of the issue of the script is that it's not always sure who to focus on. As the movie progresses, Stanfield definitely emerges as the protagonist and Kaluuya is more of the supporting character. The issue is that Kaluuya is actually more fascinating as a character. As the movie progresses, I wanted more time with Kaluuya, but Stanfield's character gets much more screen time. It's almost as if King wasn't sure how to balance between these two men. This issue is manifested in the Academy Award nominations- both Kaluuya and Stanfield were competing against each other for Best Supporting Actor. Stanfield really should have been Lead, although his performance isn't quite good enough to compete at that level. Kaluuya is outstanding in his supporting role. This confusion between whose movie it is definitely hurts the film a bit.

I want to start with Kaluuya because he gives a career defining performance in a young career that already has multiple career defining performances. Kaluuya is going to be one of the all-time greats if he continues on this trajectory. His ability to bring Fred Hampton to life is nothing short of astounding. He was a fascinating character on screen- I just marveled at how Kaluuya brought this character to life. He transforms himself into Hampton in a way that is hard to believe. Contrast the performance here with what Kelvin Harrison Jr. did with the character in The Trial of the Chicago 7 Harrison Jr. was strong in that role, but he didn't make much of a difference in a easily overlooked role. Kaluuya has presence here, he makes Hampton a larger-than-life figure. This all culminates in the "I am a Revolutionary" church scene. It's the most memorable, incredible scene of the film. I feel like I'll watch Kaluuya in this scene thirty years from now and get chills just like I did the first time. Kaluuya deserves to win Best Supporting Actor for this scene alone. It's remarkable.

I really like LaKeith Stanfield but I almost feel bad for him. His performance is also exceptional, it's also potentially career-defining. And yet, as much I liked him in this role, the movie is never as compelling with him as it is with Kaluuya. That's a shame, because Stanfield really is the lead. He has the most screen time and it's his journey we venture on. As good as Stanfield is here, he'll likely never get the credit he deserves because as good as he was, Kaluuya's performance transcends the film. Still, this movie is bolstered by two incredible performances. I loved seeing Stanfield and Kaluuya working together here.

Jesse Plemons has been everywhere lately. There's just something goofy about him that makes it hard for me to take him seriously, but he's undeniably talented. He adds much to this film. It was also fun seeing Martin Sheen in a small, nearly unrecognizable role. The cast as a whole is next-level good and it's the biggest strength this film has.

From a narrative perspective, the movie doesn't quite live up to the high bar the cast sets. This isn't due to the screenplay, which is strong- it was nominated for an Academy Award. It's really how King directs the film, the pacing. It wasn't surprising that a Best Director nod wasn't one of the 6 nominations. The Academy saw what I saw- when you're making a list of the film's biggest strengths, directing isn't at the top of the list. Please don't mistake this for me disliking what King did here- he directs one of the most memorable movies I've seen over the past year and it's a film I thoroughly enjoyed and would unhesitatingly recommend. However, it's not quite a great film.

Judas and the Black Messiah absolutely has some flaws, but it's still a movie I am rooting to win Oscar gold. It would be a crime if Daniel Kaluuya doesn't win an Academy Award for his fantastic performance here. This movie has some issues, but it's still a special film.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Trial of the Chicago 7, Malcolm & Marie