This film could have been much better. Instead of focusing on what made Fred Hampton such a powerful person - his politics, his words, his analysis - we are forced to sit through a bunch of cop-shoutouts and a fairly shallow version of an informant - FBI relationship story that we've seen done better in plenty of other movies.
As for the character of Bill Oneil, who unfortunately becomes the main character of the film, we have no insight into his ideology or his motivations, only that he wants money. The most interesting thing we learn about him is the real footage of the documentary that features at the end - which makes me wonder why I'm not watching a documentary instead. Throughout the film there's nothing about him that makes it believable that he'd be liked, trusted and even integrated as an important person in the Panthers and as a close friend of Fred Hampton's.
Overall, pretty lame
As for the character of Bill Oneil, who unfortunately becomes the main character of the film, we have no insight into his ideology or his motivations, only that he wants money. The most interesting thing we learn about him is the real footage of the documentary that features at the end - which makes me wonder why I'm not watching a documentary instead. Throughout the film there's nothing about him that makes it believable that he'd be liked, trusted and even integrated as an important person in the Panthers and as a close friend of Fred Hampton's.
Overall, pretty lame