Fred Hampton
Search results
Judas and the Black Messiah is a 2021 American biographical crime drama film directed and produced by Shaka King, who wrote the screenplay with Will Berson, based on a story by the pair and Kenny and Keith Lucas.
- Is Judas and The Black Messiah Based on A True Story?
- Who Are The Film’S Two Central Figures?
- Why Did The FBI Target Hampton?
- What Events Does Judas and The Black Messiah Dramatize?
- What Happened After Hampton’s Assassination?
In short: yes, but with extensive dramatic license, particularly regarding O’Neal. As King tells the Atlantic, he worked with screenwriter Will Berson and comedians Kenny and Keith Lucas to pen a biopic of Hampton in the guise of a psychological thriller. Rather than focusing solely on the chairman, they opted to examine O’Neal—an enigmatic figure ...
Born in a suburb of Chicago in 1948, Hampton demonstrated an appetite for activism at an early age. As Haas, who interviewed members of the Hampton family while researching his book, The Assassination of Fred Hampton: How the FBI and the Chicago Police Murdered a Black Panther, explains, “Fred just couldn’t accept injustice anywhere.” At 10 years o...
Toward the beginning of Judas and the Black Messiah, Hoover identifies Hampton as a leader “with the potential to unite the Communist, the anti-war, and the New Left movements.” Later, the FBI director tells Mitchell that the black power movement’s success will translate to the loss of “[o]ur entire way of life. Rape, pillage, conquer, do you follo...
Set between 1968 and 1969, King’s film spotlights Hampton’s accomplishments during his brief tenure as chapter chairman before delving into the betrayals that resulted in his death. Key to Hampton’s legacy were the Panthers’ survival programs, which sought to provide access to “fundamental elements of life,” per Pretzer. Among other offerings, the ...
Judas and the Black Messiah draws to a close shortly after the raid. In the film’s final scene, a conflicted O’Neal accepts an envelope filled with cash and agrees to continue informing on the Panthers. Superimposed textstates that O’Neal remained with the party until the early 1970s, ultimately earning more than $200,000 when adjusted for inflatio...
- Meilan Solly
Feb 25, 2021 · Judas and the Black Messiah is based on the true story of FBI informant William O’Neal and his role in the 1969 killing of Fred Hampton, chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther...
- Matthew Dessem
Apr 14, 2021 · The film Judas and the Black Messiah tells the story of the Chicago police killing a young Black leader in 1969. It’s set in a time when the FBI aimed to systematically...
Judas and the Black Messiah: Directed by Shaka King. With Daniel Kaluuya, LaKeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons, Dominique Fishback. Offered a plea deal by the FBI, William O'Neal infiltrates the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party to gather intelligence on Chairman Fred Hampton.
- (92K)
- Biography, Drama, History
- Shaka King
- 2021-02-12
FBI informant William O'Neal (LaKeith Stanfield) infiltrates the Illinois Black Panther Party and is tasked with keeping tabs on their charismatic leader, Chairman Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya).
An electrifying dramatization of historical events, Judas and the Black Messiah is a forceful condemnation of racial injustice -- and a major triumph for its director and stars. Read...
- (358)
- History, Drama, Biography
- R
