“Sinners,” directed by Ryan Coogler, transports us to the Deep South of 1932. Twin brothers Smoke and Stack, having had some shady business with the Chicago Outfit, come back to their hometown of Mississippi. Their purpose is to open up a juke joint for Black folks, and they plan on financing it with their not-so-clean money. Initially, the film seems to be a deep dive into race issues, social relationships, and the strong power of music. Subsequently, though, it suddenly takes a turn into a world of supernatural terror.
Their cousin Sammie, he blows the blues so soulful, so heartfelt. This music, unknowingly, beckons something sinister. A troupe of vampires, led by the aged and cunning Remmick, are drawn to this music. When these zombie-like monsters overrun the juke joint, the movie becomes a desperate fight for life, filled with blood and violence. Coogler is terrific at mixing the dark foreboding of Southern Gothic with the action-packed suspense of a vampire coup.
Michael B. Jordan is fantastic, playing both twins with such different energy. The rest of the cast, like Miles Caton as talented Sammie and Wunmi Mosaku as mysterious Annie, bring so much emotion and depth to this offbeat story. “Sinners” is more than a horror film. It causes you to think about things like cultural appropriation, how Black artists are taken advantage of, and the decades-long fight for liberty in a racially charged atmosphere. Maybe the tone shift surprises you, but “Sinners” is a movie that grabs you by the hand and won’t let go once it’s finished. It makes you think, and it keeps you on the edge of your seat. My overall critique of this movie if it is not evident by my praise is that it is one of the best to have been released this year if not the best to have been released. The intense music underscoring the action along with the low panning cinematography to leave the audience both confused and in horror throughout the whole film. And that’s not to mention how amazing Michael B Jordan is, I mean playing two people in the same movie? And sometimes in the same scene. This film is also not afraid to be bold in its many messages. It’s even sparked discussion on it all over the world. People love this film or they hate it. It seems to be one or the other with Sinners. So all in all this film is rated highly in the films that came out this year to me. It has a slow eerie atmosphere that transforms into violence and action. The racial undertone of the film gives it a powerful message that it isn’t afraid to tell you. Ryan Coogler made an amazing film and I can confidently say that he is an amazing director and story teller even though this whole film is full of violence and horror. This amazing film never lost its soul and there’s a message in that too somewhere.
