Judas and the black messiah (2021)

I really enjoyed this film. The acting was excellent, the plot was well done, and seemed fairly true to the actual facts—i had a great time reading a bunch of pages about the real events straight after watching it, and was shocked to discover that Fred was much younger in real life than he seems in the film.

The set design was good. Lots of colour and sixties tropes so that you don’t forget the era, but not so much that it feels tacky or overdone. To be fair, i’ve only witnessed the sixties through media, so i don’t actually know what it was like.

I liked that all the characters were a little flawed, but in general likeable with strong justifications, except of course for the Man who was slimy and snaky. But in the title we have both a Judas and a Black Messiah, and both being real individuals with real convictions for their actions, it’s nice to see these explored in depth. The film definitely seems to be more on Hampton’s side, but it’s not an uncritical biography of Hampton as a martyred hero. That makes it a better film.

It’s a little on the long side for films i enjoy, but unlike with so many two hour long films, the length feels justified. This is not a ninety minute film that lacks tight editing; this is a hundred and fifty minute film that has had almost all the filler sucked out. And for that, i have no complaints.

Definitely worth a watch.