Ryan Coogler’s audacious genre blend—1920s Mississippi, vampires, & soul-stirring music—anchored by Michael B. Jordan’s dual role.
There is a lot to unpack in Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, starring his regular sparring partner, Michael B. Jordan. It’s a period piece that takes place a hundred years ago in Mississippi, where slaves once picked cotton. It’s also a horror/vampire/musical about family and community. After directing the Black Panther movies and the first Creed movie, Coogler subverts expectations with Sinners. The audacity and scope of his story are marvellous, and Coogler avoids the tropes of a mass entertainer by being entirely original.
Michael B Jordan’s twins, Smoke and Stack, return to their hometown after a violent journey from being in World War I and working for Al Capone’s Chicago Outfit, to opening a pub. They envision a juke joint, i.e., a black-only club where people from their hometown can unwind after a hard day’s work, with live music and refreshments. Their cousin Sammie (Miles Caton), who’s also the local preacher’s son, has a voice that can do much more than melt hearts. For the twins, his baritone voice and natural musical talents would form the base of their juke joint’s legacy.
The first half of the film shows Smoke and Stack gather their friends and the town’s legendary pianist Delta Slim, played by Delroy Lindo (where has this talent for building character been hiding!?). The twins are just as ambitious as Coogler in that they intend to get the joint set up in the sawmill they purchased to open that same night.
The bond between the twins is strong. They don’t have to finish sentences or ask questions. When Smoke wants a cigarette, the lit match appears in Stack’s hand at just the right time. One can imagine the mayhem they must’ve caused in Chicago when they left Capone’s outfit. They have a history in the town too, with unkept promises and bad reputations. However, somehow, it feels like the town is better because of their return.
But while the twins are assembling the juke joint, an unwanted presence enters their town. Jack O’Connell plays Remmick, an Irish vampire who stumbles into this small town and seeks special souls to build his entourage. Using facets of this mythical creature that are convenient for telling his story, Coogler alienates the part of the audience that is expecting a vampire or a horror movie. However, there is plenty to gain in return.
The joy of a period film is to see people live in a time and a place unfamiliar to us. This is our time machine that assists our imagination to create images of what life must have been like back then. It’s even better when the people on the screen are having a good time, as is the case in the first half of Sinners. In contrast, the second half is dark and gloomy. Evil is forever lurking in the dark, waiting for the right time to appear.
Wunmi Mosaku’s Annie (Smoke’s wife) knows a thing or two about evil as she is the village Hoodoo magician, aka spiritual guide, an occupation that seems illogical in the beginning, but later comes in handy. The boys have not been good to the women in their lives, as both have left lovers behind. Hailee Steinfeld, in her first grown-up role in a movie, excels as Stack’s jilted ex-lover, Mary.
As Remmick, O’Connell (check out the review for The North Water, starring O’Connell) is polite, with a smile on his face and a song in his heart. With an ever-widening range, he continues to surprise. Similarly, Jordan creates distinguishable personalities for Smoke and Stack, moving away from his star-making roles as Adonis Creed or Killmonger.
Coogler prefers to keep the filmmaking practical, like the vampire scenes and the big action pieces, are short and grounded. While the second half looks like a horror film, the tension associated with the genre is decidedly missing. He inculcates aspects from various genres to create something completely new. Sinners looks fresh and grand too, because it was shot by the cinematographer, Autumn Durald Arkapaw, on 70mm film, used for movies like The Hateful Eight, Ben-Hur and The Sound of Music.
There is a fantastic sequence halfway through the film, taken in a single shot, when Sammie performs a song at the joint which blends music from the past and present, connecting human history through music and dance. The sequence ends with Remmick and his troop standing as they watch the club from a distance, like the first Europeans must have when they landed the shores of the Americas, Africa or India.
With all that Sinners has going for itself, the best part of the movie is the music. With elements ascertaining each character’s origins and trademarks, the music creates another dimension within the storytelling. In the history of cinema, Sinners has asserted a place for itself, created by some of the best artists in the film business. Where the Black Panther movies were a celebration of African culture, Sinners is a discovery of its richness.
Remmick – ‘I am your way out. The world already left you for dead. Won’t let you build. Won’t let you fellowship. We will do just that. Together. Forever.’