by Josh Sewell
After dominating franchise movies for the last decade thanks to Creed and Black Panther, brilliant writer-director Ryan Coogler is back to original storytelling with the gorgeous, atmospheric horror film Sinners. Although the filmmaker’s dedication to characterization and world-building might frustrate viewers looking to jump straight into blood and guts, the combination of Southern Gothic melodrama and gory vampire massacre – set in 1930s Mississippi – absolutely worked for me. In fact, it jumped ahead of Black Bag to become my favorite movie of the year so far.
In a dual role, Coogler’s longtime collaborator Michael B. Jordan – excellent, as usual – plays twins Smoke and Stack. After the gangster brothers steal a substantial amount of cash and booze from their Chicago associates, they return to their hometown in the Deep South with plans to build a new juke joint. However, their warm welcome is short-lived when a dangerous visitor (Jack O’Connell) crashes the opening night festivities.
Sinners offers plenty of scares and a high body count, but Coogler takes his time getting there. After a deeply unsettling opening scene, the story rewinds to the day before so viewers can get to know all the other characters who will be impacted by the horrors to come (including Hailee Steinfeld, Wunmi Mosaku, Delroy Lindo, Jayme Lawson, Omar Miller, Yao, Li Jun Li and Miles Caton, in a remarkable debut performance as the twins’ musically gifted cousin Sammie). It makes the casualties hurt, instead of viewers rooting for the gruesome demise of nameless victims with no personalities.
Coogler’s intentionally methodical pace also creates time for plenty of terrific blues numbers. In addition to his strong work as an actor, Caton is a highly accomplished singer and musician, so Sinners makes sure the audience understands why Smoke and Stack are so insistent their young cousin be a part of the juke joint’s lineup.
In fact, Sammie is the catalyst for the film’s most inspired sequence, which joins the comparatively muted first half to the horrors that transpire in the second. The character’s music is so transcendent it beckons to ancestors from the past and future until everything culminates in a jam session that becomes disconnected from time and space. It doesn’t make much sense from a logical standpoint, but this is a movie about vampires and spirits. Within that context, it’s one of the most artistically staggering moments I’ve seen on the big screen in quite some time.
However, it also gains the attention of O’Connell’s charismatic vampire Remmick. As both the central antagonist and a metaphor representing cultural appropriation that has impacted Black artists for centuries, he gets a few musical moments of his own. They’re hypnotic and alluring, a smart move from Coogler to further demonstrate how the characters in danger aren’t the typical brainless horror movie victims.
Sinners also doesn’t shy away from the sexual nature of most vampire stories. Considering how chaste our modern cinematic landscape is, that might come as a surprise to a lot of viewers. The movie’s R-rating is certainly warranted because of the language and violence, but parents planning to see it with their teens are in for some awkward family moments along the way. (I almost talked my 14-year-old daughter into coming with me to the press screening. A few minutes after it started, I was glad she decided to stay home.)
From a technical standpoint, there’s really nothing to critique. The production design from Hannah Beachler is exquisite, while cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw makes every scene look like a visual paradox – a vintage photograph taken with modern equipment. Ruth E. Carter is already a legend in the world of costume design, but her work here is just astonishing.
What else can be said about iconic composer Ludwig Göransson? The two-time Oscar winner (for Black Panther and Oppenheimer) has worked with Coogler since Fruitvale Station – the first film for both – and their creative partnership has proven to be just as strong as the one Coogler shares with Jordan. I know it’s early in the year and we’re all tired of awards season talk, but if the film’s box office success matches its critical acclaim, there’s a strong chance it could earn more than a few nominations.
I recommend seeing Sinners on the biggest screen possible (it’s playing in IMAX around the Atlanta area, complete with booming sound) and make sure you stick around through the end credits. It’s not a Marvel situation, but Coogler makes some interesting narrative choices that had me wondering if future stories set in this world are possible. I certainly wouldn’t complain.
Sinners is rated R for strong bloody violence, sexual content and language. Opens in theaters on April 18.
Grade: A
In a dual role, Coogler’s longtime collaborator Michael B. Jordan – excellent, as usual – plays twins Smoke and Stack. After the gangster brothers steal a substantial amount of cash and booze from their Chicago associates, they return to their hometown in the Deep South with plans to build a new juke joint. However, their warm welcome is short-lived when a dangerous visitor (Jack O’Connell) crashes the opening night festivities.
Sinners offers plenty of scares and a high body count, but Coogler takes his time getting there. After a deeply unsettling opening scene, the story rewinds to the day before so viewers can get to know all the other characters who will be impacted by the horrors to come (including Hailee Steinfeld, Wunmi Mosaku, Delroy Lindo, Jayme Lawson, Omar Miller, Yao, Li Jun Li and Miles Caton, in a remarkable debut performance as the twins’ musically gifted cousin Sammie). It makes the casualties hurt, instead of viewers rooting for the gruesome demise of nameless victims with no personalities.
Coogler’s intentionally methodical pace also creates time for plenty of terrific blues numbers. In addition to his strong work as an actor, Caton is a highly accomplished singer and musician, so Sinners makes sure the audience understands why Smoke and Stack are so insistent their young cousin be a part of the juke joint’s lineup.
In fact, Sammie is the catalyst for the film’s most inspired sequence, which joins the comparatively muted first half to the horrors that transpire in the second. The character’s music is so transcendent it beckons to ancestors from the past and future until everything culminates in a jam session that becomes disconnected from time and space. It doesn’t make much sense from a logical standpoint, but this is a movie about vampires and spirits. Within that context, it’s one of the most artistically staggering moments I’ve seen on the big screen in quite some time.
However, it also gains the attention of O’Connell’s charismatic vampire Remmick. As both the central antagonist and a metaphor representing cultural appropriation that has impacted Black artists for centuries, he gets a few musical moments of his own. They’re hypnotic and alluring, a smart move from Coogler to further demonstrate how the characters in danger aren’t the typical brainless horror movie victims.
Sinners also doesn’t shy away from the sexual nature of most vampire stories. Considering how chaste our modern cinematic landscape is, that might come as a surprise to a lot of viewers. The movie’s R-rating is certainly warranted because of the language and violence, but parents planning to see it with their teens are in for some awkward family moments along the way. (I almost talked my 14-year-old daughter into coming with me to the press screening. A few minutes after it started, I was glad she decided to stay home.)
From a technical standpoint, there’s really nothing to critique. The production design from Hannah Beachler is exquisite, while cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw makes every scene look like a visual paradox – a vintage photograph taken with modern equipment. Ruth E. Carter is already a legend in the world of costume design, but her work here is just astonishing.
What else can be said about iconic composer Ludwig Göransson? The two-time Oscar winner (for Black Panther and Oppenheimer) has worked with Coogler since Fruitvale Station – the first film for both – and their creative partnership has proven to be just as strong as the one Coogler shares with Jordan. I know it’s early in the year and we’re all tired of awards season talk, but if the film’s box office success matches its critical acclaim, there’s a strong chance it could earn more than a few nominations.
I recommend seeing Sinners on the biggest screen possible (it’s playing in IMAX around the Atlanta area, complete with booming sound) and make sure you stick around through the end credits. It’s not a Marvel situation, but Coogler makes some interesting narrative choices that had me wondering if future stories set in this world are possible. I certainly wouldn’t complain.
Sinners is rated R for strong bloody violence, sexual content and language. Opens in theaters on April 18.
Grade: A
Reach out to Josh Sewell at joshsewell81@gmail.com or on BlueSky @joshsewell.bsky.social
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