2020 has been an interesting year with CV19 decimating the world and secondly with the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement after the death of George Floyd at the hands of a US Police officer and whilst no one deserves to die like this it should also be remembered that here was a man with an extensive record of serious crime including an aggravated burglary against a pregnant woman which appears to have been conveniently overlooked in order to almost beatify a career criminal…..but we digress as landing in our mailbox is the Black Messiah trailer starring “Get Out” star Daniel Kaluuya (so good in ‘Widows‘) and here he teams up again with Lakeith Stanfield.
Shaka King directs and co-writes the film set in 1968 when a young, charismatic activist named Fred Hampton (Kaluuya) became Chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party, who were fighting for freedom and an end to police brutality and the slaughter of Black people. ‘Chairman Fred’ was inspiring a generation to rise up and not back down to oppression, uniting street gangs under a banner of peace and common cause, which put him directly in the line of fire of the government. William O’Neal (Stanfield) was a young black man facing prison who is offered a deal by the FBI – infiltrate the Black Panthers to provide intelligence on Hampton and he will walk free. O’Neal takes the deal and becomes a comrade in arms in the Black Panther Party. O’Neal lives in fear that his treachery will be discovered even as he rises in the ranks. But as Hampton’s fiery message draws him in, O’Neal cannot escape the deadly trajectory of his ultimate betrayal.
This Black Messiah trailer is electrifying with all the righteous fury of Spike Lee at his best. Will Berson co-wrote the film with Ryan Coogler and is intended for release in cinemas 2021.
Here’s the Black Messiah trailer……..
