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Freedom and the Double Minded Man
An essay on Shaka King’s crime thriller Judas and the Black Messiah
A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.
Viktor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning
Officers attached to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, murdered Fred Hampton in his sleep.
In a lesser film knowledge of this bit of the historical record would constitute an unforgivable spoiler. In Shaka King’s captivating new crime thriller Judas and the Black Messiah, however, it actually increases rather than diminishes the viewing experience. For while much of the conversation surrounding the film is likely to revolve around its treatment of such contemporary issues as white resentment and state-sponsored violence against blacks, its true excellence is anchored in its tragic and fatalistic vision of our frail humanity.