The story of Fred Hampton, Chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party, and his fateful betrayal by FBI informant William O’Neal.
William O’Neil (LaKeith Stanfield) avoids prison time by becoming an informant for the FBI to bring down the Black Panther Party’s Illinois chairman Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya). A prominent revolutionary and activist, Fred dedicates his life fighting for civil rights, against police brutality, and empowering the black community. With the assistance of O’Neil and other informants hired to infiltrate the Black Panther Party, Fred was assassinated at the age of twenty-one during a raid at his home. It was said the police fired over ninety shots, claiming they faced a shootout but in reality, the Black Panther members present merely fired one.
This is definitely one of the most powerful films I’ve seen. It brought such humanity to a man and an organization that has always been deemed as violent and a threat to society. Director Shaka King does an amazing job with this story and the cast is beyond incredible. Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith Standfield are exciting to watch and I do believe these are their best roles yet. This film exceeded all of my expectations and if you only get to see one movie this year, this should definitely be the one.
In Select Theaters and on HBO Max Friday, February 12th
