I’m on a 2 day Vacation from my DayJob, for a four day Easter Weekend. I caught Sinners earlier Thursday afternoon, having purchased a ticket the Sunday before. That I stood up and slow danced with the credits and mid/post credit scenes of the film says a lot for me. It says I need to frequent more packed showings so that I don’t do such things. More importantly, it says the blues was as seductive as most of the movie, playing a crucial part in every scene. I dare say that Sinners could almost be a musical in the same way that the Coen Brothers’ O Brother, Where Art Thou? was. There was not a musical moment in this movie where I wasn’t bobbing my knee or nodding my head (thanks to either Academy Award Winner Ludwig Goransson or whoever had the vocals at any particular moment). I even sang along at one point with a song I recognized. I’m kicking myself in the pants for not staying at the movie theatre for another showing. I really should have. That just felt so good.
I like to think I knew a lot about Vampires. I mean, I’ve been a fan for like 3 decades now, but Sinners puts a spin on the genre through myth and music that caught me off guard. Granted, if you’ve watched all of the trailers, you’ve seen most of the film already (trailers being what they are these days), but I’ll try to keep it as vague as possible. Despite what’s shared, there’s a lot left out.
Ryan Coogler’s Sinners takes us to Mississippi in 1932, where two brothers, Smoke & Stack (both played by longtime Coogler associate Michael B. Jordan) return home with a plan to open up a juke joint. It involves picking up a few friends and associates along the way, particularly their guitarist cousin Sammie (Miles Caton, in his Introductory role). Sammie’s father, a Preacher, wants him to turn away from the music he makes and join the Church, proclaiming that the blues will lead to the Devil. Sammie, however, loves what he does and he’s damn good at it.
The brothers are smooth talkers and quick dealers, a pair of gangsters working off the notion that anything’s possible at the right price. They also have some unresolved relationships with the women in their lives. Grief drove a stake through Annie (Wunmi Mosaku, Deadpool & Wolverine) and Smoke’s relationship, while Stack can’t seem to get rid of Mary (Hailee Steinfeld (Spider-Man: Through the Spider Verse), no matter how hard he tries. Take all that and add living in Mississippi as a person of color in the 1930s, and things are kind of rough all around. There’s a scene that suggests life in Chicago could be brighter, but “better the devil you know”, suggests otherwise.
Granted, Coogler isn’t shy in showing the effects of racism (as Fruitvale Station showed), and Sinners doesn’t detour from that. For it to be historically accurate (even if fictional), shades of that darkness have to exist in the film, though it may not seem as heavily showcased at first. At best, one could say that any racism or segregation elements take a back seat to the bloodsuckers prowling the night.
Jordan’s twin set up is really good. Both Smoke and Stack have their distinctive styles, though there are a few moments where you may get lost in figuring who’s who. Jayme Lawson (The Batman‘s Bella Real, who I didn’t even realize until this write up) also did well here. Li Jun Li (Babylon) and Delroy Lindo’s provided some the more comedic moments than anything else. Although every actor does well in Sinners, it wouldn’t be half as powerful as it was without Miles Caton’s Sammie. He felt like the audience’s lens through all this, and when he sings, it’s rich, kind of reminiscent of Aloe Blacc’s style a decade ago. Another stand out is Jack O’Connell (Ferrari, 28 Years Later), whose character has all the best of intentions, yet may not have everyone’s best interests at heart.
I unfortunately didn’t get a chance to see the film in the Panavision 70 or IMAX formats it was filmed in. To do that means a trip into Manhattan, which I simply don’t really do much anymore since moving out (though I may make an attempt before the weekend’s out). Coogler makes some fantastic use of space, framing the camera for some beautiful wide shots when needed, along with a nice one shot, but the real magic happens during the 2nd half. The party sequence itself is worth the price of admission, possibly rivaling the one in Damian Chazelle’s Babylon. The camera flows just as well as did during the fight sequences of the Black Panther films. I’d imagine those sequences must look really awesome in those formats.
The only real complaint I have over Sinners is that I felt that some of the decisions made in the 2nd half didn’t fully make sense to me, which ironically was some of the same issues I had with Robert Rodriguez’ From Dusk Till Dawn, which moves along similar lines. I get why the decisions were made, but at the same time, I kind of hoped for a little more there. That might be more of a nitpick than anything else. It’s has horror, someone’s bound to make a decision that threatens everyone else. Additionally, not every loop is closed. Most of the important ones were from a story standpoint, but there were one or two elements I would have like to have found out about. It’s not a total loss.
Oh, while you’re going to watch this, it may be best to send the little ones off to watch Minecraft. Sinners is seductive in a number of ways, and there are a few steamy scenes that aren’t for their eyes. Additionally, there’s also a copious amount of blood, that may also be a little off putting. Parental Guidance suggested, indeed.
Overall, I loved Sinners. I’ve already scooped up Ludwig Goransson’s Score (which should be be available in about an hour, as of this writing) and would happily watch it again. Note that if you are going to see it, there is an extended Mid Credits scene that is longer that I expected it to be. Really, when it starts, you might as well sit back down if you stood up to go. There’s also a post credit scene as well, which isn’t as impactful, but fun to watch, all the same.
Through the Shattered Lens 