THE STORY – Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.
THE CAST – Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, Jack O’Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Omar Benson Miller, Li Jun Li & Delroy Lindo
THE TEAM – Ryan Coogler (Director/Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 137 Minutes
Ryan Coogler has had an awe-inspiring filmmaking career so far. After helming the independent “Fruitvale Station” to great acclaim in 2013, he was given the keys to Sylvester Stallone’s legacy with “Creed” and created a whole new franchise for his star, Michael B. Jordan, which is still going strong. Then he followed that up with the back-to-back blockbuster success of “Black Panther” and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” working within the confines of the MCU but still managing to get his voice as a Black artist across. Now, he’s back with a perfect blend of studio backing and personal vision in his most accomplished work yet, with the one-of-a-kind cinematic experience, “Sinners.” At a time when movie theaters are struggling to deliver something fresh and inspiring to moviegoers, Coogler’s latest is an energized thunderclap of a film, part fever dream, part spiritual reckoning, and part genre mashup that stomps through the Jim Crow-deep South with the swagger of a jukebox song and the bite of a bloodsucker’s curse. It’s his most impassioned, spiritually resonant work to date — an operatic meditation on history and the ghostly toll of exploitation. In short, it’s one of the best films of the year.
Michael B. Jordan plays twin WWI veteran, prohibition-era gangsters Smoke and Stack, who return from Chicago to carve out a piece of the South by opening a juke joint deep in the woods of 1930s Mississippi. Smoke and Stack, while charming and protective of those who do right by them, have a dangerous reputation you do not want to cross. They each take their time meeting the various citizens of their hometown, some old and some new, inviting them to come to the lively party later that evening as they make arrangments and word of their return spreads throughout the town. Sammie “Preacher Boy” Moore (Newcomer Miles Canton) is a local preacher’s musically gifted son. He can sing and play the guitar well enough that he will serve just fine as the main attraction for the brothers’ operation. However, with Sammie’s gifts comes a heavy price. Ever heard the phrase “the devil’s music?” Well, once played on the night of the party during a time of liberation from the hardships of the day, Sammie’s guitar summons a horrifying force of evil to the barn where all the people of color have gathered: a different kind of clan, vampires. Posing as their friends and loved ones under the disguise of southern charm and friendliness, the crafty, bloodsucking creatures do their best to get invited into the barn while those still left inside prepare themselves to confront a force more powerful than anything on this earth.
“Sinners” operates on several different levels, providing audiences with much to chew on during its 137-minute runtime. While some may be coming to see a film filled with genre action and gore (and there is much of that in the film’s second half), Coogler deploys the same attention to character and story he’s shown with his previous films by patiently immersing audiences in the time period (gorgeously shot in IMAX), establishing who the characters are and making sure we understand their past relationships without having to rely on flashbacks. It takes a good hour or so with minimal to no action before the music and the blood starts to flow. But once Coogler unleashes the most virtuoso sequences he’s ever shot to date: a transcendent musical sequence that begins with Sammie strumming the guitar and then, in a bravado oner, takes us through the history of the blues all within the confines of the barn (and aided by some seamless visual effects) as the characters sing and dance in a pure form of expression that is spiritual and overwhelmingly moving, the film kicks into a higher gear and never lets its foot off the pedal.
Even with the action-packed second half, some of the film’s most compelling moments come from the quiet build-up to the climax, with a fantastic ensemble led by a career-best performance from Michael B. Jordan. Having to play two distinct characters, one more smooth talking and loose, the other hardened and more rigid, but both still two men you don’t want to mess with, Jordan gets to flex his acting muscles (and literal muscles) across different tones and brings the audience on an emotional arc for both characters.
We know he can be physically imposing and carry himself with the confidence needed to pull off a role such as this. Still, it’s that blend of masculinity and vulnerability that he excels at so deeply, and it’s on full display here. Despite how magnificent the dual performance from Jordan is and the outstanding supporting work from Hailee Steinfeld (as Stack’s ex-girlfriend, Mary), Jack O’Connell (as a traveling Irish folk-singing vampire), Wunmi Mosaku (as Smoke’s ex-girlfriend, Annie), Jayme Lawson (as a married woman Sammie is quite taken by named Pearline), Omar Benson Miller (Cornbread, hired by the twins as security at the door for the evening), Li Jun Li (Grace Chow, a Chinese American local grocer) & Delroy Lindo (Delta Slim, a whiskey-drinking, harmonica-playing town elder who foretells of the evil our characters will have to face backed by their heartbreaking history), the real standout is Caton, who is shockingly delivering his debut performance here as Sammie. He unexpectedly becomes the most critical member of the cast to ensure that “Sinners” is a success in ways that I will not spoil, but it’s fair to say this young actor is going places.
The craft elements of “Sinners” also deserve praise, as the film celebrates the power of music — its ability to transcend time, connect generations, and carry the weight of grief and joy alike, making it almost its own character in the film. Academy Award-winner Ludwig Göransson’s score is one of his best, threading together vintage blues with modern soul, and yes, it undoubtedly rocks. Its integration within the film, not just from a story standpoint but also thematically as well is another layer of meaning that “Sinners” richly rewards its audience with, provided they’re willing to engage with it beyond its genre fare.
While some might be able to track where “Sinners” eventually takes its audience, the film thrives on Coogler’s ambitious and personal intentions and care for the aesthetics, visually and auditorially, so it will be easy to get lost in his textured vision, which pulses with rhythm and packs more profound truths humming beneath the surface. It’s a film where the horror of the past is never far behind, and the act of creation, whether it be music, storytelling, or forming your own identity, is a form of rebellion in search of personal and spiritual freedom.
There are some oddities in a bold swing like “Sinners,” such as not one but two post-credit scenes that feel unnecessary, and the aforementioned pacing of the first half may lose some viewers before Coogler sinks his fangs deeper into the material. However, none of this should dampen the overall experience, especially when so many individual elements, such as the story, acting, and crafts, are firing on all cylinders. Best seen on IMAX with the best sound system you can find, “Sinners” is a renewed jolt of adrenaline for the cinematic landscape in how original it feels and a poignant cry from the past that reverberates into the present and, hopefully, transforms into a reclamation beyond into the future.
