Learning more about the Black Panther movement is one of the reasons to watch this fast-moving film directed By Shaka King. While most history books paint the Black Panthers in a negative light, the admirable politics and ideology of that movement are finally given a chance to surface here for the general populace.
Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya), a young, charismatic activist, becomes Chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party - putting him directly in the crosshairs of the government, the FBI, and the Chicago Police. But to destroy the revolution, the authorities are going to need a man inside - that man is career thief William O'Neal (LaKeith Stanfield) placed by his handler Roy Mitchell (Jesse Plemons). The result of that insertion is the tragic death of Hampton.
The blaccent dialogue speeds out and is at many times blurred: subtitles save the day in many of the especially fast scenes. Casting Martin Sheen as J. Edgar Hoover is questionable, but he is on screen for only moment. The cast is uniformly excellent - especially Daniel Kaluuya, LaKeith Stanfield, and Dominique Fishback (who plays Hampton's wife). To understand the dialogue requires intense concentration, even from British actor Kaluuya. Despite flaws, the film is important to see and to view the Black Panthers in a better light.
Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya), a young, charismatic activist, becomes Chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party - putting him directly in the crosshairs of the government, the FBI, and the Chicago Police. But to destroy the revolution, the authorities are going to need a man inside - that man is career thief William O'Neal (LaKeith Stanfield) placed by his handler Roy Mitchell (Jesse Plemons). The result of that insertion is the tragic death of Hampton.
The blaccent dialogue speeds out and is at many times blurred: subtitles save the day in many of the especially fast scenes. Casting Martin Sheen as J. Edgar Hoover is questionable, but he is on screen for only moment. The cast is uniformly excellent - especially Daniel Kaluuya, LaKeith Stanfield, and Dominique Fishback (who plays Hampton's wife). To understand the dialogue requires intense concentration, even from British actor Kaluuya. Despite flaws, the film is important to see and to view the Black Panthers in a better light.