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Showing posts with the label Shaka King

Judas and the Black Messiah | Average Guy Movie Review

In the 1960's a young car thief called William O'Neal (Lakeith Stanfield) was recruited by the FBI to infiltrate the Chicago chapter of the Black Panther party. His job was to report on the organisation's activities and to get close to their leader; Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya). America's troubles with racism have been well documented over the years. It's something that continues to shock the world today. Having grown up in Britain I was aware of the Black Panthers and their struggle, but I hadn't heard of Fred Hampton. The same goes for William O'Neal and the work he did for the FBI. Director Shaka King has brought this frightful bit of history to life in gritty detail. Authenticity is definitely a word that springs to mind when watching  Judas and the Black Messiah , everything from the look of 1960's Chicago, to the animosity towards the Civil Rights movement and the African American community. But King also manages to keep things balanced, avoiding