by Jeffery Rahming, Contributing Writer
Ryan Coogler has been a celebrated director since his 2013 breakthrough film, Fruitvale Station. But it has been since then that we’ve seen what the director can do outside of his work with major franchises. This time, he comes with an original IP that feels like confirmation that he is the director we all thought he was.
In Sinners, Michael B. Jordan plays twins, Elijah “Smoke” and Elias “Stack” Moore, who plan to open up a juke joint in the South using money they got from their gang activities in Chicago. To get started, they throw a blues party, recruiting local blues player Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo) and their cousin Sammie, also known as “Preacher Boy” (Miles Canton), who discovered his musical abilities using a guitar gifted to him by the twins, much to his father’s chagrin. Their opening night is going great, until a pack of vampires and their eerie leader Remmick (Jack O’Connell) come to visit. Now, in classic vampire film fashion, the party participants must figure out how to ward off these unwanted party guests until sunrise.
Sinners is already set to be a horror classic. In many ways, it follows every horror trope to a tee, but that’s part of the fun of genre filmmaking: seeing how a director puts their spin on classic ideas. These vampires aren’t your stereotypical bloodsucking savages; they work more like a cult hive mind a la the Manson Family. Their hippy-like glee at committing murder is both comedic and creepy — they are some of the most purely unsettling horror villains I’ve seen in a long time.
Horror often gives great actors a lot to work with, and the ensemble all bring their best to the table. Jordan has nothing left to prove as a movie star, but this feels like him challenging himself. He brings the characters to life so well, you just forget you’re looking at a visual effect. Stack and Smoke aren’t exactly the most compelling lead characters, but Jordan makes up for that with pure movie star charisma. Lindo deserves a special shoutout for another excellent performance in his long career as one of cinema’s best character actors.
Music plays a surprising central role in this story. Coogler is showing off with his ability to weave musical sequences of all things into his blood-splattered vampire movie. Outside of the music scenes looking great, they’re also thematically relevant. There’s a subtle parallel between Coogler’s portrayal of vampires and the way Black music gets assimilated into greater American culture, though I’m sure that will be discussed more as this movie’s legacy grows. Honestly, a lot of what’s most interesting about Sinners is more under the surface, but that’s what makes it work so well. There’s a lot of depth here, but if you don’t care about it, you still get a fun, original gorefest. Ludwig Göransson once again creates an instantly memorable score that floats between classic Western strings, moody blues chords, and heavy metal guitars almost schizophrenically. At times, it can be a little over the top, but it suits the pulp horror vibe this film goes for
Sinners belongs among the pantheon of Black horror classics, alongside Candyman and Get Out. Coogler has managed to make a movie that’s both original and has huge franchise potential. After this, there’s no doubt that he’s the director to watch for the decade.
Rating: Liked It
Sinners is currently playing in theaters
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