Premise: After getting arrested for a crime, William O'Neal becomes an informant for the FBI, infiltrating the Chicago Black Panther party, led by their charismatic chairman Fred Hampton.
I guess this is one of those movies. You know, the kind that I liked well enough, then it gets such rapturous critical praise that I become defensive. It's not a reaction I like about myself. A better adjusted person would think, I'm glad they liked it too. Instead, I'm suspicious. This praise feels performative by others or is there something I missed? So, then when I run into people who love it, my response somehow morphs into "it's not that good", and suddenly, all I'm ever talking about are the things I didn't like about what I thought was a pretty decent movie.
This movie is based on a true story. William O'Neal really was an informant for the FBI and Fred Hampton really was charismatic as hell. The history of all this isn't a secret, so I feel fine saying that it ends with the wrongful death of Fred Hampton by the police thanks to the FBI. It's a pretty infuriating but sadly familiar story.
I think that's what capped my appreciation of the movie some. I've seen it all before. There are plenty of movies about guys who go undercover in an organization and start to believe in that group more than the people they are informing for. It's not shocking to know that the FBI was undermining black leaders of that era. Frank Hampton is one in a generation of black leaders who were killed. He is one of the ones who was killed most directly by law enforcement, so there's that. I don't want to minimize the injustice, but as a movie, it didn't stand out that much from similar movies I've seen.
And, to be clear, I say all that to explain why I didn't LOVE the movie. I liked it. I think it's well made. The cast is bonkers. Daniel Kaluuya is rightfully in the hunt for a Supporting Actor Oscar. He's tremendous. It's easy to see how that character could rise up the ranks so quickly*. Lakeith Stanfield plays William O'Neal's conflict well. He falls for the Black Panthers but never fully. He keeps a mental distance that's interesting to watch. Jesse Plemons is almost too easy as the FBI handler who seems "aww shucks" but is actually morally compromised. Matin Sheen certainly isn't the worst J. Edgar Hoover I've seen. I like seeing that people other than David Simon are finding Dominique Fishback for roles. Overall, the movie is a solid crime thriller, really carried by the performances and some "based on real events" fury.
*Fred Hampton died at 21 years old. Imagine if there really was an actor out there at 21 with that much presence.
Verdict: Weakly Recommend
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