Ryan Coogler brings us a compelling new myth about music and vampires. The score by Ludwig Göransson is exceptional and transcendent. There’s also A LOT of blues music and Irish folk music throughout, all of which are superb. The cinematography by Autumn Durald Arkapaw is gorgeous and effective.
Michael B. Jordan continues to showcase his effortless charisma and star power as identical twin brothers, Smoke and Stack. Stack is the muscle, Smoke is the brains. Miles Catton shines as aspiring blues musician Sammy Moore, the true star of the movie (or as I like to call him, The Magic Man). Andrene Ward-Hammond brings a warmth to her role of Ruthie, voodoo priestess and love interest to Smoke. Hailee Steinfeld is ethereal and stunning as Mary, love interest to Stack.
Jack O’Connell plays one of the best love-to-hate villains in the modern day, Remmick, an Irish vampire. Coogler said the vampires here were influenced by The Wolf in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Indeed, their eyes glow and they have silver tongues. They also are more than a little reminiscent of wolves or coyotes.
Those walking in expecting a vampiric horror film will have a while to wait; at least an hour, at most an hour twenty. It’s hard to call this one a horror film. It is, but it also isn’t. The horror part doesn’t come into play until the last hour or so of the movie. The parts before this are dedicated to character development, and world-building based on the real and not the fantastical.
Once the vampires come out when the sunsets, it’s non-stop horror but everything before that plays like a straight-up character drama. Some might find the horror scary, I found it to be more freaky, disturbing, and fun. The best scene in the entire film is easily when Sammy plays his first Blues song in the “Juke Joint”/club. This scene is elevating, transcendent, and magical…all the things a great movie should be.
In the end, Sinners is yet another home-run from Ryan Coogler. I’ve honestly yet to see a weak or bad film from this man, and Sinners is no exception. If you love music, you owe it to yourself to see this film.
5 STARS
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