There is something magical about watching the greats create, untethered by the confines of franchise IP, and given the unfettered ability to indulge in all of their ideas. Not everyone can control their own chaos, but Ryan Coogler isn’t everybody, and “Sinners” represents the next generational voice in original cinema.
Even when he’s operating with the genre tropes of horror familiarity, it becomes apparent very early on that we are witnessing something special and someone operating with a lot on his mind. This film is both unlike anything you’ve seen and a film you’ve seen many times over, with Coogler wearing his inspirations on his sleeve while injecting every moment of silly, blood soaked entertainment with a deep and personal intelligence. There is a deeply personal passion that shines through even at its most messy and predictable, as if all the lesser pieces that feel trite are purposefully made that way.
“Sinners” is a blusey, horny, bloody affair that is bursting with ideas and powered by invigorating blues and infectious score. It is a tale of two films, connected by one of the most transcendent scenes of the decade. Using the history of blues and Irish folk as a catalyst and backdrop for events throughout, it wrestles with the ideas of assimilation vs appropriation through vampire and “survive the night” cliches. The opposing musical numbers – both of which are propulsive and masterfully executed – represent opposite sides of the doorframe that neither can cross yet recognize that both have their origins born from poverty and persecution. It allows Coogler to deliver a genuine genre flick ripe with tropes and blood and sex, combined to create crowd pleasing fun while always reminding us that he has more to say amid the violent chaos that ensues as we enter into the third act. It’s powerful stuff, the kind of tricky balance only the greats can even attempt let alone pull off successfully.
Written and directed by Coogler, the very real life “making-of” are ever present in the beyond intentional ideas here. He even managed to negotiate an unprecedented deal in which the rights to “Sinners” belong to him after 25 years. This doesn’t happen in Hollywood, but when contextualized with the blues music that powers the film, it plays an integral part of the story and its history. Anyone with a little bit of curiosity knows blues music was appropriated and exploited by white musicians, and Coogler’s push to keep the rights to his original piece driven by this very ideal is telling of just how important it is to him. It answers the question of why he chose to make THIS film; why vampires? Why horror? Why the south in 1932? This film is about Black culture without feeling like a “Black” film, the general appeal of a stacked cast and hard R gore with vampires and sex, booze, and blues deceptively attracting casual audiences and then hitting them with something deeper and smarter that mirrors both the history of music and the behind the scenes dealing of movie making.
“Sinners” would be better served without the foreknowledge of vampires around the corner, but it’s hard to market a blues-driven period piece starring Michael B. Jordan without it. The first hour is all setup and world building, collecting the characters we’ll see later when things go south and settling us into the surroundings. Our audience surrogate is Sammy (Miles Caton making his onscreen film debut) who everyone calls Preacher Boy due his father being a pastor. He is torn by his family’s deep roots in the church and his own love of blues music, and when his cousins Smoke and Stack (Michael B. Jordan) return home from Chicago to open up a juke joint, Sammy jumps at the opportunity to play for their opening night. Known as the Smokestack Twins, they arrive in their hometown after years away and a dastardly life lived. Their motivations for returning and their deeds in their absence are slowly revealed through the characters we meet as they scramble to host their grand opening immediately.
We meet both of their love interests, Mary and Annie (Hailee Steinfeld and Wunmi Masaku), an old drunk blues musician Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo), Chinese grocers Grace and Bo (Li Jun Li and Yao) and many others who descend upon the new joint to escape their own demons and harsh lives. Everyone is tempted by something, as temptation plays a huge part in nearly every character’s motivation, and “Sinners” begins its night of revelry and debauchery as the blues music pulses and moves the dance floor. When Sammy performs, his once-in-a-generation talent shatters the veil (figuratively and literally), and while it can bring healing, it also serves as a siren call to the Devil, manifested here as the vampire Remmick (Jack O’Connell).
Remmick is drawn to the powerful sound, and wants to use Sammy to call and be reunited with his ancestors. With a few recently converted vamps, he descends upon the juke joint in hopes to turn Preacher Boy, and at first they are polite and cordial but quickly turn vicious and violent as they are continually turned away.
It’s here where “Sinners” changes from a period drama to an outright horror gorefest. The shift is definitive, and would almost feel completely disconnected were it not for the musical tissue that pulls them together. You could make the case that it doesn’t quite work, and really does feel as if it is two films blended into one. My initial thoughts were firmly stuck on this being a beat for beat retread of “From Dusk Til Dawn,” a vampire film I unabashedly love but deserves most of its harshest critical opinions. While that still stands – the pacing and 3 act construction all the way down to the character dynamic and survivors are nearly a direct side by side – Coogler is well aware of his influences and rather than trying to remake the inspirational classics, he seeks to elevate and improve upon them. It’s all of the chaotic violence of Quentin Tarantino with the dramatic prowess of Barry Jenkins using “O Brother Where Art Thou?” as fuel.
Aptly titled, “Sinners” not only deals with temptation, but many other sins that proliferate each and every character. It is horny as hell, with many of the characters are driven by sex and longing and lust for each other and a better life. Michael B. Jordan proves himself to be best when Coogler is at the helm, delivering his best performance to date. I’ve been pretty out on Jordan for most of his career, and have found him to be extremely limited as a performer. Here he gets to flex his talents in a duel role that are distinctly different and play to all of his onscreen strengths. The twins act as the duality of man, Smoke being more measured and calculated and tormented by his own demons while Stack is more impulsive and erratic, the true hustler of the pair. Never have I seen Jordan feel so electric and captivating on screen, and the double dose of him serves “Sinners” rather than hinders it as you might expect. Whatever you think of him heading into this, rest assured he has arrived and will change your mind.
There’s not a single weak link in the star studded cast, with everyone given a little something to do and someone to be. The slow start setup allows for each character to be fully realized by the time they are thrust into a night of terror, and when they all converge on the club and we watch as the camera whisks about them from moment to moment we easily follow and understand them all. Jordan has very real chemistry with both Steinfeld and Masaku, who both sink their teeth into their roles with abandon – particularly Steinfield who’s given some of the most vulgar lines delivered with assuredness and later malicious intent. Jack O’Connell’s Remmick is an entirely new kind of vampire, and he’s having the time of his life relishing in the devilish misdeeds. He might be having the most fun out of everyone, and while he is mostly on the outside looking in on our heroes, “Sinners” and O’Connell give the villain much more complexity than a mindless bloodsucker.
He actually has a Thanos effect, in which the longer you listen to him talk about why and what he’s trying to do, you run the risk of saying to yourself, “he’s out of line…but he’s kind of right.” Only the best villains are able to blur the line between monster and savior, and O’Connell makes a meal out of the role every chance he gets. The true runaways though are Caton and Lindo, who are tasked with being the shoulders in which both the film itself and comic relief rest upon. You would never believe this is Caton’s first film, which is all the more impressive considering he’s surrounded by veterans. Lindo once again reminds us why he’s one of the best to do it and is a true scene stealer. Every time he was onscreen I kept thinking to myself, “Man, we really don’t deserve Delroy Lindo.” He has some of the best lines the cut the tension and give some much needed laugh out loud moments.
Ludwig Göransson‘s (“The Mandalorian“) score is magnificent and fearless, so vital to the storytelling and pulsating as it powers every aspect of the film. Göransson is quickly becoming a once in a generation composer, and “Sinnners” is a testament that we are watching one of the greats come into his own. It is truly exciting to get on board the train early, and it is something special to witness. Autumn Durald Arkapaw’s cinematography is stunning, a masterwork of shot composition and framing completely in conversation with Coogler’s own visual flare and ideas.
“Sinners” is constantly alive, and the aforementioned musical numbers are transcendent and soul shattering because Arkapaw knows exactly what Coogler is try to say through the screen. It is a masterclass in visual storytelling, and even when that story gets a little messy the magic of cinematic experience never wanes. You just don’t see so many masters at work in one film, even the production and costume design are exquisite. This film captures every single aspect of the Mississippi Delta, its patience and attention to detail commanding the biggest screen you can find to fully capture it all.
It is abundantly clear Coogler loves cinema and loves filmmaking, and his passion comes through in every aspect here. It is by no means perfect despite my praises, and sometimes struggles with pacing and act to act to transitions. The surrealist dreamlike sequence I keep mentioning floored me, but is so abstract and jarring it may not resonate with everyone. The tale of two films hinges on it, and it begins to crack a bit once it transitions from period drama to full blown survival horror. It does overstay its welcome and has a sort of rushing and dragging pace that gets a bit lost in its own ideas. If you think about this film too hard, you’ll be left with more questions than answers, and the contrivances and conveniences start to show more and more. Coogler has so much to say about everything, and the film is sometimes bogged down by an unbridled talent operating without strings. It IS bold and beautiful and kind of all over the place, but whatever misgivings you may have about the narrative construction take a back seat to all of the film’s excellence.
And “Sinners” is so goddamn entertaining it doesn’t even matter if some things don’t make sense.
It is so rare for a film this indulgent to remain so consistently involving. When it hums it sings and stirs the soul with true cinematic wonder, this film is breathless in its approach, locking the door behind you and just like our protagonists asks us to survive the experience. When we talk about the desire for original cinema, “Sinners” is what we mean. It is drawing from the past to propel the present into the future, a true visionary experience of creativity imagination. For anything that doesn’t work there’s twice as many things that do, and what it IS actually about underneath festers inside long after the credits roll. I left the theater thinking I really enjoyed that film, faults and all. But the longer I’m removed from it and the more I engage with its themes and music, the more I’m coming around to the idea that “Sinners” just may indeed be a masterpiece.
It’s been a long time since I’ve wanted to immediately see a film again after a first watch, but like our characters being drawn back into the frays of their choices and temptations, I can’t seem to escape the call of “Sinners.” Like the toe-tapping blues soundtrack, i feel it calling me to come back to it. That kind of reflection can only come about from a true master of their craft, and Coogler makes a strong case for being one of the most compelling voices in cinema. This is the movie to break through the IP noise and deliver on all the things we want from cinema. It’s bold and slick and sexy and violent and smart and mesmerizing, but above it all it is just plain and simply a great time at the movies. Hell, just from my own thoughts spilled out onto the page after sitting with it, I’ve already bumped it up a whole half star from my initial rating. And that may get even higher upon a rewatch.
Yes, it is THAT good, a film that feels important and more necessary than ever in the current landscape. The best thing you can do is go see it on the biggest screen possible. Our money is the only thing that will continue to allow movies like this to keep existing. Money talks, and “Sinners” is worth every hard earned dollar. Like our heroes seeking freedom and something for themselves for one night, this film is the escape you’ve been waiting for.
The score and soundtrack will now be on repeat indefinitely. Oh, and there is a mid credit scene that is worth the extra few minutes.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars
“Sinners” is now playing in theaters. You can watch the trailer below.
