Was Father Time a spy?

No. He just figured out, that they would kill him too, if he was going to try to rescue Little J (although i think this scene was too coldblooded) (I know my response is a little late).

Father Time was for himself, pure and simple. He was no spy but rather just played the way the wind was going. If the sheriff or the colonel offered him something he may have listened at the beginning but he wasn't one to stick his neck out for anyone no matter how close he was to them.

He touched on that before he was killed that time wasn't with him in the big climax scene. Spy? No. All for self? Hell yes.


'Cause I'm Black you think I did it?

Poorly directed scene, Father Time may be all for himself but he isn't cold blooded sociopath as the scene makes him out to be. I could understand him not doing anything, maybe standing by due to the fact they'd all kill him too, but the fact he sits there so cold-blooded and doesn't give a damn about Little J, whom he's had a lot of report with throughout the film, they both spend much time bickering in a friendly way. I think Mario was trying to show how in it for himself he was, but he did it all wrong, Father Time sitting at the table? Okay... Father Time playing with his cards? Okay.... Father Time looking indifferent and cold, and completely unaffected by the screams of Little J's final moments in life? Nope, just don't fcking buy it.

Hated that scene, this movie was well directed, but that scene was awfully, and unnecessarily cold blooded as another poster pointed out.

But then again at the end, when Weezie is looking over Little J's body, pondering how he saved him when nobody ever stuck his neck so far out for him, Father Time seems extremely choked up by the fact Little J died, like he wish he was as selfish as himself so he'd still be alive, there is some regret in his voice. So I guess that whole sitting at the card table, pretending it didn't bother him was just a put-on by Father Time to appear more "unscathed" because he knew had he gotten up and watched Little J's beating, he would have either emotionally faltered and shown his vulnerability, something he doesn't like doing do to weakness drawing attention from the cruel ones in life. Or maybe he felt that had he looked at the beating, he would have done something stupid that he himself would have regretted. I guess it's not a poorly directed scene as just a tough pill to swallow about the character and his outlook. Really sad tbh, Little J was trying to teach Father Time about selflessness and even sprang forth the idea of them being scamming partners in order to increase eachother's survival rate, I think this may be something that stuck with Father Time, because he does stick his neck out in the end, learning how to be selfless. I thought the way Father Time and Little J dynamic and different outlooks on life was one of my favorite aspects of the film, and the way it ends is all the more bitter, but hopeful how Father Time learns to stop being so cold.

No, he wasn't a spy. It's just that his philosophy on life was very self preservation focused, which made him do some seemingly very selfish things, like not help little J. In the end, he changed his ways and ended up noble.