Judas and the Black Messiah It’s running for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and it’s a new movie that certainly has fans and moviegoers around the world raving about it. With a riveting performance and a powerful and tragic story, there is so much to love and take away from this movie.
Based on the true story of the Black Panther Party and the FBI assassination of Fred Hampton, there are many moments in this film that tear viewers’ hearts: politics, love, family, racism, and hate. It’s time to reflect on the lines that gave viewers the creeps and stayed on everyone’s mind long after the movie ended.
10 “Words are beautiful, but action is supreme.”
Everyone has heard the old saying that action really matters, but there is something much more powerful in the way Fred Hampton touches this message. In the movie, he is actually quoting Che Guevara.
Daniel Kaluuya is creepy as Fred Hampton and plays it in a powerful and brilliant way online. As a poet, Hampton uses words as a powerful tool, but even he agrees that action is what will really make the change. This quote solidifies that idea and inspires everyone who watches.
9 “At one point for me, he was like a role model when I didn’t have one. Back then we had very few role models.”
LaKeith Stanfield delivers an equally compelling performance as Bill O’Neal. The film also includes an interview, years later, where Bill O’Neal talks about his relationship with FBI agent Roy Mitchell. He describes him as a role model and then goes on to say that blacks had very few at the time, but then he mentions Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, and Muhammad Ali.
This quote seems tragic, but it goes much deeper. In this period of civil unrest and inequality, there was a severe lack of power and strength given to the black community, so much so that O’Neal found comfort in an FBI agent. This dialogue goes much deeper than their personal relationship.
8 “At least they died for the people. We should be so lucky.”
There is tension between Fred and Deborah about how much of themselves they should give to the revolution. She mentions the fate of leaders like Martin Luther King, but Fred is quick to state how lucky they could be to give so much.
Fred Hampton is an incredibly inspirational and selfless man who fights for equality, and this quote shows just how deep your beliefs run in him and throughout the entire revolution.
7 “It doesn’t seem fair that this is his legacy.”
Jake Winters is a party character who is tragically killed by the police after being involved in a shootout with them and his friend calls the police. You feel trapped and helpless.
He’s framed as a cop killer and Fred Hampton visits his mother, where they discuss what a gentle soul he was and how his legacy should be so much more, and his mother gives this quote. His story is not the only one, and this moment in the film is a powerful depiction of the media framing and Winters’ lack of choice.
6 “The reform is just that the masters teach the slaves how to be better slaves.”
This movie is not afraid to dive deep into the system and institution that has created, encouraged and exploited racism. This time period had to do with political change, but Fred Hampton knew there had to be more.
This dark but honest quote unravels the concepts behind systemic racism and how reform is often instituted with a political agenda in mind. Instead, the White Panther Party sought to ensure that there was a revolution.
5 “A badge is scarier than a weapon.”
This quote is short and subtle, but offers an extreme take on the entire background of the movie. Bill O’Neal is recruited by the FBI instead of spending time in jail after he is caught trying to steal by posing as an FBI agent.
He claims he does it because a badge scares more than a gun. It seems simple and effective, but it also points to conflict and injustice between the police institution and black communities. This quote shows the truth in her, and how that in itself is terrifying.
4 “Wherever there are people, there is power.”
In an age of political unrest and discrimination, this quote rings true. Fred Hampton’s goal was to unify, not divide, and he dedicated his life to the people around him so that everyone could live better, freer, and happier.
There are many changes that can come from people coming together, and this movie says a lot about this. There is a lot of power in people and this quote marks a powerful point in the movie.
3 “We educate. We nurture. We nurture and pressure. Perhaps we are here for more than just war with these bodies.”
Deborah Johnson is pregnant during this period of civil unrest and all she wants is a safe and happy life for her family. She is also always trying to make sure Fred is safe and is not just giving his life to the revolution.
This quote also shows that the Black Panther Party seeks much more than a simple fight, but is also educating, nurturing and unifying its people. This is only so powerful.
two “I don’t know what I would say to him, other than that I was part of the fight.”
The film also features an interview, years later, with Bill O’Neal and his role as an FBI informant. This quote hits all viewers hard, and it comes when O’Neal was asked what he would tell his son about that moment.
Bill O’Neal’s story is an honest description of someone who felt he had no other choice at the time. While he did his part with the FBI, to say that he was “part of the fight” runs deep and is a divisive statement, to say the least.
1 “A liberator can be assassinated, but liberation cannot be assassinated …”
“You can assassinate a liberator, but you cannot assassinate liberation. You can assassinate a revolutionary, but you cannot assassinate a revolution. And you can murder a freedom fighter, but you can’t murder freedom! “
This quote is a great summary of the entire movie and is incredibly powerful in describing the struggle for equality, freedom, and liberation at this particular point in history. Despite the tragic and unjust death of Fred Hampton, he inspired change and contributed to the fight for freedom and liberation, and there was nothing more true and powerful in the film than this quote.
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