Judas and the Black Messiah shines a light on the story of Fred Hampton, Chairman of the Black Panther Party in late 1960's Chicago. An unrecognizable Martin Sheen as FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, plants a mole in Hampton's organization, intent on undermining the natural born leader. The FBI forces small time criminal William O'Neal (LaKeith Stanfield) to betray Hampton. Daniel Kaluuya makes a convincing Fred Hampton in scenes displaying his ability to sway a crowd. The portrait of Hampton completes with a touching portrait of his life partner Debra Johnson (Dominique Fishback.) Judas and the Black Messiah plays as a noir thriller, with O'Neill betraying Hampton even as he comes to embrace Hampton's work, addressing hunger, education, and police harassment. The conclusion roars to a shocking gut punch.
