Ian Curran’s review published on Letterboxd:
Every generation has their pinnacle performer—the actor or actress that will go on to define that period in time. This is Daniel Kaluuya’s time. He is our generational talent.
I couldn't take my eyes of Daniel Kaluuya; his presence on screen was profound at times. Im reluctant to say this is his best performance because I feel his best work is still to come. However I do believe this performance, and the Oscar it will deservedly yield, will level him up in terms of recognition. Only great things can come from that.
Unfortunately I don't feel the rest of the movie lived up to the great performances that inhabited it—Lakeith and Dominique Fishback were excellent also.
I cant quiet put my finger on why the movie as a whole didnt work for me. After finishing it I felt like there was a lot of story still untold. It felt like there was still so much that needed to be said about the characters and their place in history.
I know some people have criticised the focus on the FBI and Bill O’Neills character. I found those aspects of the story interesting, but not as interesting as Fred Hamptons story. Thats not to say Bill’s story shouldn't be told. Maybe it would have worked better within a mini-series format where it could have explored both characters in more depth. Or maybe it should have adopted a more traditional bio-pic structure. I don't know.
All I know is this, when you insert that much text at the end of a movie you’ve left too much story on the table.
