From the comfort of your own home, see "Judas and the Black Messiah," starring LaKeith Stanfield and Daniel Kaluuya and directed by Shaka King, which opens in select theaters on HBO Max on Friday, February 12.
The film, which follows Illinois Black Panther leader Fred Hampton and FBI informant William O'Neal, who infiltrated the chapter and gave information that led to the raid that murdered Hampton, is accessible to watch for one month after its initial release.
You can join for $14.99 per month, or you can sign up before March 1 to take advantage of a special deal that saves you more than 20% off the regular price if you pay for six months in advance. You'll spend $69.99 for six months with this bargain, saving you $20 above the monthly price.
One of the most startling aspects of Shaka King's latest Molotov Cocktail of a film, Judas and the Black Messiah, is how it isn't actually Fred Hampton's narrative. The film is clearly about Hampton, the flamboyant Black Panther Party leader who is brought to life here by Daniel Kaluuya in one of his best performances.
However, as the title implies, this story's Black Messiah is seen from afar and from the perspective of the man who condemned him. It's a common strategy for tales about grandeur that are cut short, or for numbers that are too vast for a film's length to comprehend.
That's how Lin-Manuel Miranda explained Alexander Hamilton via Aaron Burr's jealousy, and why Jesus Christ Superstar delivered its tale through the silver-tongued apostle. This narrative approach has never been more unpleasant or slippery than in Judas and the Black Messiah.
Putting yourself in the shoes of William O'Neal, the mistreated FBI informant who assisted law enforcement in the final execution of Hampton, is like spending two hours at a live murder scene where the blood is still fresh and any notion of justice is forever out of grasp.
LaKeith Stanfield is just as wonderful as Kaluuya as that nefarious person but in a less attractive capacity. Stanfield imbues the picture with a restless, anxious energy that puts the whole piece on edge by calibrating every instinctive tic and strained action.
Even before O'Neal becomes an informant, this is true. Stanfield is a petty thief with a hilarious scam in the film's opening scene: he poses as an FBI agent and uses phony credentials to boost automobiles in the area. But when the actual Federal Bureau of Investigation finds out as symbolized by agent Roy Mitchell (Jesse Plemons) O'Neal faces a fate much worse than jail, even if it takes him the whole film to figure it out.
New 'Judas and the Black Messiah' trailer stars Daniel Kaluuya as Black Panther Fred ... 12, the same day it begins a 31-day streaming period on HBO Max. Judas and the Black Messiah is a 2021 American historical drama film about FBI informant William O'Neal's betrayal of Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya), the Illinois chapter leader of the Black Panther Party in late 1960s Chicago. The film stars Dominique Fishback, Ashton Sanders, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Lil Rel Howery, Algee Smith, Dominique Thorne, and Martin Sheen.
Shaka King directed and produced the film, and he and Will Berson co-wrote the screenplay, which was based on a story created by the two, as well as Kenny and Keith Lucas. A Fred Hampton biopic has been in the works for a long time, with both the Lucas brothers and Will Berson developing and proposing ideas independently since 2014.
Berson's version was supposed to be directed by F. Gary Gray, but when that fell through, King was brought in to take over. The gang got together in 2019, with Hampton's family's blessing, and filming started in Ohio that October.
Judas and the Black Messiah premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on February 1, 2021, and Warner Bros. Pictures released the film in theaters and on HBO Max on February 12, 2021. Critics praised King's direction, the performances (particularly Kaluuya and Stanfield's), and the film's timely themes.
The film got six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor for both Kaluuya and Stanfield, and at the 93rd Academy Awards, Kaluuya and Stanfield won Best Supporting Actor and Best Original Song, respectively ("Fight for You"). For his role, Kaluuya won Best Supporting Actor at the Golden Globes, Critics' Choice Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and BAFTA Awards.
Offered a plea deal by the FBI, William O'Neal infiltrates the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party to gather intelligence on Chairman Fred Hampton. Judas and the Black Messiah, a Warner Bros. production, has finally launched on HBO Max, but you'll only be able to view it for a short time. Judas and the Black Messiah, directed by Shaka King, is based on true circumstances that led to the assassination of Black Panther Party deputy chairman Fred Hampton after a betrayal by his buddy William O'Neal, an undercover FBI agent.
Hampton is played by Daniel Kaluuya, while O'Neal is played by LaKeith Stanfield. Dominique Fishback, Jesse Plemons, and Martin Sheen are among the cast members of Judas and the Black Messiah.
HBO Max will be streaming Judas and the Black Messiah through Sunday, March 14. On the HBO Max home page, the departure date is also shown in the description line for Judas and the Black Messiah.
This date corresponds to the previously announced 31-day release window, which is a significant component of the Warner Bros.-HBO Max 2021 partnership. In general, the 31-day release window is comparable to a standard theatrical release window for a feature picture.
In this case, a new release like Judas and the Black Messiah would debut in cinemas and remain there for at least a month, with the release window being extended if the film performed well at the box office. Judas and the Black Messiah will follow a conventional post-theatrical distribution approach after it exits HBO Max in mid-March.
We may hope to see Judas and the Black Messiah become accessible to rent on-demand and obtain a Blu-ray/DVD release, as we saw with Wonder Woman 1984, the first Warner Bros. film to start this unusual trend. And, since it's a Warner Bros. film, there's a high possibility it'll return to HBO Max at some time in the future for a more typical streaming release schedule.
Until March 14, Judas and the Black Messiah is available to view on HBO Max. More information may be found in our review of Judas and the Black Messiah, as well as information on what's coming to HBO and HBO Max in February.
Judas and the Black Messiah is based on true events and portrays the infuriating tale of Fred Hampton's (Daniel Kaluuya) treachery and murder in the 1960s. Continue reading to learn how to watch Judas and the Black Messiah online and on HBO Max right now.
Hampton was only 21 years old when he was shot and assassinated at point-blank range in his bed by the FBI and Chicago Police Department, who had targeted him in an attempt to quiet his demands for social change-but they needed a mole to bring him down.
William O'Neal (Lakeith Stanfield) agreed to infiltrate the Black Panther Party (BPP) on behalf of the FBI and its chief J. Edgar Hoover, who was willing to use any means necessary to put an end to the movement that Hampton had helped to foster in exchange for cash and a reprieve from a series of minor crimes.
O'Neal got close to Hampton, who was the head of the BPP's Illinois branch at the time and a founder of the multicultural Rainbow Coalition, which had effectively unified a varied variety of oppressed populations across the political spectrum.
The FBI, led by agent Roy Mitchell (Jesse Plemons), aggressively fostered violence between the BPP and other radical groups with the initiation of an extraordinary disinformation campaign with the support of O'Neal and murdered Hampton during an early-morning raid after he'd been drugged.
They could assassinate the guy, but they wouldn't be able to erase his legacy. Follow our instructions to watch Judas and the Black Messiah online and enjoy the HBO Max exclusive right now-it's only available till March 14th, so don't miss out.
How to watch Judas and the Black Messiah online: stream the movie on HBO Max now. By Aatif Sulleyman last updated March 04, 2021. Although the film is no longer accessible on HBO Max, it is possible that it may be put back at some point in the future. For those who want to see "Judas and the Black Messiah" at home, you may rent it through sites such as Vudu, FandangoNow, Amazon Prime, iTunes, or Google Play. Rentals begin at $20, although prices may vary depending on the platform of your choosing.
"Judas and the Black Messiah" was removed from HBO Max on March 14, one day before it received five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, as part of the WarnerMedia strategy to debut its theatrical features on the streaming platform in 2021, but only for the first 30 days of their release.
When is Judas and the Black Messiah going to be released? The film will be released in cinemas and on HBO Max on the same day, on February 12. In addition, the film will only be accessible for viewing on HBO Max for a total of 31 days.
There is currently no streaming availability for 'Judas and the Black Messiah' on Netflix. While films such as "13th" and "I Am Not Your Negro" are both compelling stories of racism in America and the battle against it, we urge that our viewers watch "13th" and "I Am Not Your Negro."