“Sinners” is a supernatural horror film written, produced, and directed by Ryan Coogler, who is reunited with his “Black Panther” and “Creed” star Michael B. Jordan. Our JP reviews the movie, also starring Hailee Steinfeld and Miles Caton.
Sinners
Warner Bros. Pictures
- Directed by Ryan Coogler
- Written by Ryan Coogler
- Produced by Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Ryan Coogler
- Starring Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, Jack O’Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Omar Miller. Li Jun Li, Delroy Lindo
Studio Synopsis:
From Ryan Coogler—director of Black Panther and Creed—and starring Michael B. Jordan comes a new vision of fear: Sinners. Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers (Jordan) return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.
“You keep dancing with the devil, one day he’s gonna follow you home.”
J.P.’s Take:
“Sinners” marks filmmaker Ryan Cooglar’s foray into the horror genre, merging various cinematic styles with aspects of African-American culture in a cohesive 1930s period piece narrative.
Leveraging his personal experiences with analysis of many famous black artists, Coogler adeptly explores the struggles of people of African descent in artistry, presenting their journeys in a raw, complex and even horrifying manner. Additionally, he weaves a tale that highlights how our faith has been a source of strength and allowing our culture to endure over time. The second act is then steeped in supernatural horror.
Instead of diving straight into the horror tale, we first get to know the twin brothers nick-named Smoke and Stack (both played by Michael B. Jordan). After returning from Chicago, they’re eager to kick start a fresh chapter in their lives by establishing a juke joint exclusively for the black community. However, as they embark on this trek, they soon realize they’re contending with the clan breathing down their necks and something sinister lurking in the shadows of the night.
The enjoyable aspect of “Sinners” is that Ryan Cooglar approaches the story, almost like it’s a piece of folklore or what people back in those days used to refer to as “old wives’ tales.” It feels like something that would be passed down through the ages from one generation to the next. And if you watch closely, you’ll start to pick a part the symbolism that sparks many visual and story cues.
The lore begins with delving into the legend that music can unlock and gates to both heaven and hell. In this instance, it examines how music that was created by slaves, mainly gospel and blues (among countless future genres), have been perceived in two distinct ways despite their common music foundations.
In the first act, there is a pivotal moment when the juke joint finally opens and revealing the hidden talent of the twins’ cousin, Sammie Moore (Miles Caton), as a blues singer and guitarist. Despite his father, Jedidiah Moore (Saul Williams), a pastor, highly disapproves of Sammie’s passion for blues music and viewing his performances in juke joints as the work of the devil. Coogler signifies this in a scene where Sammie is invited to take the stage by Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo), a well-known blues singer himself. Sammie belts his heart out, as the building (supernaturally) erupts in flames to symbolize his fiery performance.
As he passionately sings his heart out, amidst the mystical chaos, a mesmerizing array of ghostly figures from African, Asian and Indigenous backgrounds appear — dancing and singing alongside him. These spectral figures represent not only the history of black musical culture but also its future, while symbolically representing the journey of black folks and our musical evolution. This moment also expresses how art forms created by black people have all too often faced harsh criticism and complete misunderstanding. These scenes are otherworldly to a degree, especially when you consider the context of cultural expression, and the struggles faced by these communities.
Yet, after all this is a horror film, as the demons finally do come out to play in the second act.
When three weary strangers of Irish descent wander up to the club, things turn sinister in a toyful way. They appear to be traveling musicians who are just looking for a place to perform, after they heard the joyful noise coming from the club. They ask for a bite to eat and drink just for the night, and they’ll be on their way after. Naturally, the brothers and their friends become quite suspicious of the newcomers and decide to send them away. However, a young woman named Mary (Hailee Steinfeld), who was once the lover of twin brother Stack, persuades the brothers to consider letting the trio in. She believes it might help them discover who they are and what they’re all about.
Mary uses her charm and saunters out to the trio and applauds their performance as they sit outside under the stars. It quickly becomes a mistake as they pounce on her like a pack of wild animals. It swiftly turns into a blunder as the atmosphere shifts to something reminiscent of Robert Rodriguez’s iconic vampire flick “From Dusk Til Dawn.” From this point on, it transforms into a gruesome bloodbath, and it’s lengthy. I got goosebumps as it thrilled me to the bone.
Performances by the cast were fantastic, Michael B. Jordan is a wiz at playing twin brothers Smoke and Stack. He is supported by a wonderful cast of Wunmi Mosaku as Annie, Jayme Lawson as Pearline, Jack O’Connell as Remmick, Omar Benson Miller as Cornbread, and Li Jun Li as Grace Chow.
Other notables in the cast are Delroy Lindo as Delta Slim, Lola Kirke as Joan, Peter Dreimanis as Bert, Andrene Ward-Hammond as Ruthie, David Maldonado as Hogwood, Yao as Bo Chow, Helena Hu as Lisa Chow, and last but certainly not least, blues singer extraordinaire Buddy Guy playing an older Sammie Moore.
This film also carries with it a couple of end and after credit scenes that are nicely placed …and dare I say, could signify a sequel. I’m so looking forward to more works by this fellow Bay Area, native talent.
Once it all came to an end, you witness the retribution of the last brother standing. I’ll say no more, except to say you get the feeling of a Blaxploitation film that is mixed with a musical and a period film. “Sinners” is masterfully assembled in a solid work of art.
Official Site: Sinners
