05-09-2013, 10:07 PM
Hadn't heard of this film, Peter, but just yesterday happened to read James W. Douglass' essay* about the murder of Malcolm X and was reminded that infiltration of groups/organizations the FBI deems "subversive" is a decades-old tactic, often practiced in conjunction with local law enforcement (-in this instance, the NYPD teamed up with Hoover's boys to spy on and create division within the Nation of Islam).
Perhaps Brandon Darby's story is not so much one of a "radical" turning informant but the other way round, deliberately, as proved to be the case with ranking NOI member John X Ali? This film's trailer barely hints at Brandon having another identity, so one hopes that Jamie Meltzer mined Brandon's past and was able to prove, conclusively, just who/what Brandon is, since his seeming about-face is -and always has been- a cornerstone of deep politics.
* "The Murder and Martyrdom of Malcolm X" appears in The Assassinations by Jim DiEugenio and Lisa Pease
Perhaps Brandon Darby's story is not so much one of a "radical" turning informant but the other way round, deliberately, as proved to be the case with ranking NOI member John X Ali? This film's trailer barely hints at Brandon having another identity, so one hopes that Jamie Meltzer mined Brandon's past and was able to prove, conclusively, just who/what Brandon is, since his seeming about-face is -and always has been- a cornerstone of deep politics.
* "The Murder and Martyrdom of Malcolm X" appears in The Assassinations by Jim DiEugenio and Lisa Pease