SINNERS REVIEW

“A sexy and sweaty vampire flick unlike any other”

It’s hard to believe Sinners is only Ryan Coogler’s fifth feature film as a director. It’s been 12 years since Fruitvale Station, and he still seems to be everywhere, though he has been producing and writing more than directing, other than those two ginormous Black Panther movies. I’m going to presume anyone reading this has seen the trailer or are aware that Sinners is essentially a vampire movie, but it’s a very different one in that it starts as one thing and eventually introduces those vampire/horror elements.

Michael B. Jordan plays the dual role of twin brothers, Smoke and Stack, who have returned to Clarksville, Mississippi in the mid-’30s to buy a sawmill that they want to transform into a juke joint. First, they pick up their younger cousin “Preacher Boy” Sammie (Miles Canton in a terrific debut), who heads with Stack to recruit the piano playing Delta Slim (the always great Delroy Lindo) to provide the music. Stack also convinces a field worker named Cornbread (Omar Miller) to provide security at this new venture, and they also stop at the local convenience store owned by a Chinese couple, Grace and Bo (played by Li Jun Li from Babylon and Yao) to recruit their help as well. During this set-up, Hailee Steinfeld shows up as Mary, a white woman who has a romantic past with Stack, and we learn that Smoke had a kid with Wunmi Mosaku’s Annie, a Louisiana woman who sells magic potions and other items. Another important character is Jayme Lawon’s Pearline, a pretty young singer who Sammie takes a shine to.

All these varied characters meet up at the twins’ Club Juke, which comes together incredibly fast in less than 24 hours for its opening night. That’s one point that’s not quite as believable, but it’s a minor quibble. We learn pretty quickly that Smoke and Stack, despite being twins, are very different people, even though they both been in Chicago running with (and apparently scamming) Al Capone before leaving in a rush. As the people gather at Club Juke, we meet Jack O’Connell’s Irish vampire, who starts his journey by turning a white couple into vamps before they all head towards the juke with nefarious motives.

Coogler has written a brilliant, fully-realized script filled with compelling characters, and the entire ensemble assembled goes above and beyond to prove Coogler to very much be an actor’s director, getting top-notch performances, even from his regular collaborator, Jordan. Another good example is Omar Miller, a well-regarded character actor who has been in so many great movies, but Coogler gives him a role that really allows him to change things up. I will freely admit that Jordan playing both twins did get a little confusing, to the point where I began forgetting which brother was involved with which woman, though those romances are an important part in developing those characters.

You can tell that Coogler did his research and reading to create the most authentic Mississippi setting for this tale, making it even more onerous when the vampire element kicks in and adds that extra layer. Sure, there’s racial stuff in terms of the KKK presence always hanging heavy over everyone at the juke just trying to have a good time. That is exacerbated when seemingly friendly white people show up and want to spend their money at the twins’ joint, which is already running into financial troubles on its first night. Most people might go into Sinners assuming it’s solely about the twins, but it’s more about young Sammie and how the events that night at Club Juke affected his entire life.

While the Black Panther movies were obviously genre films, Sinners gives Coogler an opportunity to delve further into genre along the lines of Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino, but more films like Desperado, Machete, and their Grindhouse entries, than their vampire collab, From Dusk Till Dawn. Sinners even leads to a number of incredibly satisfying action set pieces, one that could garner audience reactions akin to Hitler’s assassination in Inglourious Basterds. Make no mistake that Sinners earns its R-rating with a suitable amount of gore apropos to the subject.

An even more important aspect of Sinners than vampires is its music, and it’s not just the blues that’s apropos to the period and area, as Coogler reunites with Black Panther composer Ludwig Göransson to create a varied soundtrack with an amazing sequence that blends many musical styles. I expect this to be another hot and popular soundtrack.

The movie does feel like it goes on for a little too long, even with a pretty satisfying ending that appropriately ties up a few loose ends. Make sure to stay through the credits, though, for a significant sequence I won’t spoil other than the fact that it offers a rare bit of acting from none other than legendary bluesman Buddy Guy.

Ryan Coogler has made a sexy and sweaty vampire flick unlike any other, with Sinners being a riveting look at a particular era, then throwing vampires into the mix. It works surprisingly well, but only due to Coogler’s very specific vision and his ability to deliver on it.

RATING: 8/10

Sinners opens nationwide on Friday, April 18 with previews on Thursday.