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The 2021 American biographical drama ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’ focuses mainly on the betrayal of Fred Hampton (played by Daniel Kaluuya), who was the chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party in the late 1960s, at the hands of William O’Neal (played by Lakeith Stanfield), an FBI informant.
Directed by Shaka King, the movie revolves around the real-life story of two young boys trying to find their footing in the world — with Hampton trying to bring about social change and end racism and O’Neal trying to survive without going to prison.
But who was Fred Hampton and why did the FBI take interest in him?
Fred Hampton, born Fredrick Allen Hampton, was an African American activist, Marxist-Leninist and revolutionary socialist. He came to prominence in Chicago as chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party and deputy chairman of the national Black Panther Party.
He founded the Rainbow Coalition in a bid to stop major Chicago street gangs from fighting amongst each other and instead work for social change. This non-aggression pact initially included the Black Panthers, Young Patriots and Young Lords, forming a prominent multicultural political organization.
Hampton played a major role in the Black Panther Party’s Free Breakfast Program for children.
In one of his speeches, Hampton famously said:
“We’ve got to face the fact that some people say you fight fire best with fire, but we say you put the fire out best with water. We say you don’t fight racism with racism. We’re gonna fight racism with solidarity. We say we’re not going to fight capitalism with black capitalism, but we’re going to fight it with socialism.”
His leadership and way with words made him an excellent orator, leading the FBI to identify him as a radical threat in 1967. Several investigations show that the FBI chief J Edgar Hoover was determined to prevent the formation of a cohesive Black movement in the United States since he believed it would bring radical change in the US government.
Around the same time, 17-year-old William O’Neal, who had been arrested for interstate car theft and impersonation of a federal agent, was recruited to be an informant for the FBI.
He quickly rose in the ranks and soon became Head of Security for the Black Panther Party and continued to provide information to the FBI on the day-to-day activities of the party.
So, what did the FBI do?
In 1968, Hampton was sent to two to five years in prison.
Why?
Ice-cream.
He was accused of stealing $71 worth of ice cream bars.
During his stay in prison, there was a shootout at the BPP office, which ended up being bombed by the police. O’Neal along with Hampton’s girlfriend Deborah and other BPP members renovated the office.
When he was released a year later on anticipatory bail, he made one of the most powerful speeches ever. The famous ‘I am a revolutionary’ speech. He said:
“We might not be back. I might be in jail, I might be anywhere. But when I leave, you can remember that I said with the last words out of my lips, that I am a revolutionary. You’re going to have to keep saying that. You’re going to have to say that I am a proletarian, I am the people, I am not the pig. You’ve got to make a distinction and the people are going to have to attack the pig”.
On the night of December 3, O’Neal drugged Hampton. A raid was organized and the police opened fire and shot a sleeping 21-year-old Hampton in his bed. The Chicago police had fired between 90-99 shots, while the Panthers shot only once from the fallen shotgun of another BPP member Mark Clark who was also killed that night.
The movie
The title ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’ is a clever take on Judas who betrayed Jesus ‘the messiah’, the same way O’Neal betrays Hampton.
‘Get Out’ actor Daniel Kaluuya has shown his acting prowess yet again and done more than a phenomenal job at portraying the charming Fred Hampton, from his accent to clothes to body language. The actor has nailed everything.
Another ‘Get Out’ alum Lakeith Stanfield holds his own as ‘Judas’. His portrayal of the torn William O’Neal who is confused between his loyalty, belief, and survival deserves a shoutout of its own.
Though the movie fails to show the more radical and anti-capitalist political side of Hampton, it is otherwise accurate in its portrayal of him, O’Neal and the incidents that followed.
The movie borrows its dialogues from the original speeches and is delivered with the utmost rigour by Kaluuya.
There’s one particularly interesting scene where O’Neal is asked why he impersonated an FBI agent with a badge to steal a car rather than just stealing it like everybody else.
He says: ‘A badge is scarier than a gun. A badge is like you have an army behind you’.
The film earned six nominations at the 93rd Academy Awards, including Best Picture, with Stanfield and Kaluuya both being nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
For his performance, Kaluuya also won Best Supporting Actor at the Golden Globes and the Critics’ Choice Award.