As the title suggests, Judas and the Black Messiah is a story of betrayal. The biographical drama recounts the relationship between the Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton and the FBI informant William O'Neal. Shaka King, who directed and co-wrote the film, gives Hampton, played by Daniel Kaluuya, the moniker of Black Messiah, characterizing the African American leader as a savior. Meanwhile, O'Neal (played by LaKeith Stanfield) is a trusted ally whose actions lead to Hampton's death. But his persona is complex, with his actions diverting from typical betrayal narratives.
Daniel Kaluuya in Judas and the Black Messiah
If Hampton is analogous to Jesus Christ, then O'Neal is his Judas. The FBI informant is an integral member of Hampton's inner circle, while Judas was one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus. But, O'Neal's explicit purpose in gaining Hampton's confidence is to spy on the black activist. He is ambivalent about the Black Panther's cause and only cares about self-preservation, working for the FBI in exchange for judicial leniency. By contrast, Judas was a devout follower who turned on his leader for thirty pieces of silver. Thus, O'Neal is not a typical "Judas" and perhaps more akin to a mob informant.
Fred Hampton in 1968 (wikipedia.org)
Throughout the film, the Black Panther members repeatedly use the term "rat," a common term for a mob informant, to refer to traitors in their midst. As with other rats, the authorities apprehend O'Neal for criminal offenses and offer to erase the charges if he cooperates. But the analogy does not go any further. Similar to the Judas comparison, the mob informant is typically a member of the organization prior to the deal with law enforcement. Furthermore, unlike mob bosses, Hampton is not a villain. Instead, Shaka King paints the racist FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover as the antagonist, serving as the Pontius Pilate in the Jesus/Judas analogy.
Society has an uneasy relationship with rats, not just the ones crawling in attics or dragging a pizza on the subway. Mob informants are despicable disloyal criminals but are essential in prosecuting bigger fish, even terrestrial orange beasts that roam golf courses.
Donald Trump called his former personal attorney Michael Cohen a rat for turning on his ex-boss. Cohen hoped for a reduced sentence when he pleaded guilty in August 2018 of campaign finance violations, tax fraud, and bank fraud. But Cohen, unlike O'Neal, had a pre-existing relationship with the person he betrayed. So perhaps O'Neal is more of a spy than a rat, similar to Ron Stallworth, who Spike Lee portrayed in the 2018 film BlacKkKlansman.
Michael Cohen at a September 2016 Donald Trump campaign event (nbc.com)
Stallworth, an African American police officer, spies on Kwame Ture, a prominent black civil rights activist. But unlike O'Neal, he is performing a job, not exchanging his services for a reduced criminal sentence. What they do have in common is that they both betray their race. Although a black police officer is not expected to be more lenient on black criminals, Stallworth spies on an innocent black man targeted by a racist police department. Similarly, O'Neal is helping the corrupt FBI take down a fellow African American. Although blind loyalty to one's race may be problematic, betrayal to benefit an oppressive majority seems worse.
Thus, O'Neal is not a typical Judas, mob informant, or spy. His most significant ethical transgression may be his disloyalty to his race, not to a specific man or cause. And Judas and the Black Messiah is an examination of a complex individual struggling with self-preservation. But some individuals betray their minority community for much smaller stakes. They do not seek to avoid incarceration but gain acceptance from a bigoted white society, perhaps someone like Armond White.
Judas and the Black Messiah is critically acclaimed. The 2021 film received a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with only twelve of 337 critics giving a negative review. When examining the individuals who gave a "rotten" review, one person stands out. Armond White, writing for the National Review, states, "this superficial view of the past contributes to the national dismantling perpetuated by the mainstream media."
Armond White's attack on traditional journalism while debasing an African American film is not surprising when considering where the article is published. National Review is a conservative magazine founded by the right-wing icon William Buckley. What is surprising is that Armond White is African American.
Armond White in 2009 (nymag.com)
In 2014, New York Film Critics Circle voted Armond White out of their organization. According to one of the members, Owen Gleiberman, White heckled an award recipient, Steve McQueen, at the Circle's annual dinner. McQueen directed 12 Years a Slave, the winner of the 2013 Academy Award for Best Picture. In his review, White referred to McQueen’s movie as "torture porn" and suggested that the film was not about historical accuracy but a vehicle designed to make white people feel better about themselves for feeling guilty. According to Gleiberman, witnesses at White's table heard him calling McQueen, who is African American, an "embarrassing doorman and garbage man," and saying, "f-you, kiss my ass!"
In addition to 12 Years a Slave, White is also a member of the minuscule minority that criticized another movie by an African American filmmaker, the 2016 Barry Jenkins film Moonlight that also won the Academy Award for Best Picture. White continued his hate for critically acclaimed movies directed and starring African Americans by giving rotten reviews for Jordan Peele's Get Out (98% Rotten Tomatoes), Ryan Coogler directed Black Panther (96% Rotten Tomatoes), and BlacKkKlansman (96% Rotten Tomatoes).
By all accounts, White is a unique individual, a gay African American, who is a fundamentalist Christian with a refined sensitivity towards the arts. He may be idiosyncratic or perhaps courageous, not shying away from controversy. Or he is a self-hating black man disloyal to his race.
William O'Neal may suffer from self-hate, but dissimilar to a contrarian film critic. He does not reject his race or seek acceptance from the white FBI officer. O'Neal only wants to stay out of prison. He may feel remorse, but not necessarily for betraying his race, but for straying from human decency. He is responsible for the death of an innocent man, regardless of his race. And the guilt he carries is overwhelming. After the narrative's conclusion, Shaka King reveals that O'Neal committed suicide 20 years following Hampton's murder.
Judas and the Black Messiah reveals the soul of a conflicted man and sheds light on his tortured ordeal, allowing at least some sympathy to be reserved for a notorious figure in American history.
Andrew’s Grade: A
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