Can Hollywood Be Radical? "Judas And The Black Messiah"

So, I'm sure by now you have all seen the film 'Judas and the Black Messiah'. The movie portrayed the assassination of Fred Hampton (played by Daniel Kaluuya) by the FBI and Chicago police. I had known some of Daniel Kaluuya's work from Get Out, Black Mirror, Black Panther and when I first watched the trailer I was surprised to see him being chosen to portray Fred Hampton. So, here are my thoughts:

Fred Hampton was murdered by Chicago police at 21-years, William O'Neal (the FBI informant) was about 18-years old when he first met Fred Hampton, and Akua Njeri was 17-years old when she first began working with Hampton. The actors portraying these characters are in their 30's and I felt that this was an important detail the film should have showcased by casting younger actors/actresses. Also, I wondered how many of these actors engaged in activism before landing their roles? I watched an interview of Daniel Kaluuya and was disappointed to learn that he was not aware of Fred Hampton's story. Although Eurocentric media have buried stories of Black revolutionaries, especially those who have been murdered by the police, I think the role should have gone to someone who has followed Hampton's work or at least known who he was.

It also didn't sit right with me to know that this Hollywood movie will gross MILLIONS, especially because this societal idea of radicalism has become a trend. This fact strips away the authenticity of the story they are telling, because everything these rich directors, writers, actors, etc will pocket is everything Fred Hampton stood against. However, it does make me feel more comfortable that Fred Hampton Jr. and Akua Njeri approved the film.

This film should at least donate their earnings to different activist orgs. or to Black lower income communities because COVID-19 has impacted our community at a large scale, rather than everyone just perpetuating the ideas and actions that Fred Hampton was against.

Sidenote: Dominique Fishback (woman who played Akua Njrei) displayed such a beautiful aura on screen and is just...well look at her!

Watching Fred Hampton bring different community orgs. together to unionize against capitalism and watching the people come help rebuild the Black Panthers house after the police set it on fire was one of the most powerful scenes, in my opinion. It just reinforced what Fred and so many other revolutionaries preach which is that the community, the people, are the backbone in supporting each other in this country that continuously prays over our failure.

Overall, the film was visually captivating (styling and the fall color tones throughout) and the acting was on point, but I think if Hollywood wants to accurately portray radical ideas and revolutionary stories, these people are going to have to change as well. How many real activists did they cast to be a part of this film as a whole? Playing an activist on film and writing a script about destruction and pain toward the Black community is simple, and I am in no way denying the power of story telling as it sparks dialogue and change. BUT, I want to see these Hollywood directors, actors and writers actually engaged in discourse.