"Sinners" Movie Review by BPL's William Anthony

 

Beware of the devil down in the Mississippi Delta. 

This movie review is written by William Anthony of BPL's Citizens Services Department. Check out the trailer to Sinners by clicking here.   

Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan are a director-and-lead-actor duo that is not going away anytime soon. Their collaboration has grown stronger over the years, and Sinners fulfills this determined calling to make more movies together. They did a decent job navigating a variety of relevant, universal themes in Fruitvale Station, Creed, and Black Panther while still figuring out their groove as a dynamic team with similar goals. 

These Oscar winners knock it out of the ballpark with Sinners. Each scene gradually unveils the evil that lurks near a group of people who just want to have a good time and enjoy loud, raucous music. I look forward to what else they will hopefully tackle down the road. This is now a professional relationship that brings to my mind other cinematic duos such as John Wayne and John Ford, Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese, Johnny Depp and Tim Burton, and Klaus Kinski and Werner Herzog. However, these men of the hour must be careful with their next project because Sinners will not be an easy film to top.

Sinners was nominated for 16 Oscars. It now holds the record for being the most nominated film ever in Oscar history. All About Eve, Titanic, and La La Land each previously held that record with 14 nominations. Although Sinners lost the Oscar for Best Picture to One Battle After Another, the genre-defying movie went home with four Oscars, including Best Original Screenplay (won by writer/director Coogler) and Best Actor  - Michael B. Jordan.

This is not your typical vampire story. There is no Dracula. There are no bats nor coffins either. Sinners does not take place in Transylvania. You will quickly know why Mr. Coogler won that Oscar for Best Original Screenplay once the sun starts to set deep down in Mississippi.  

The twins, Smoke and Stack, return to their hometown, Clarksdale, and open up their own juke joint after leaving behind a life of crime in Chicago. Their names are a clever reference to the blues song, “Smokestack Lightnin’” by Howlin’ Wolf. Michael B. Jordan amps up his coolness playing both of these confident but still different entrepreneurs. One look at his boisterous grin as Stack and you will think that he might be the devil. On the other hand, he exercises cautious restraint as the more strategic, calculating Smoke. This is easily the 39-year-old actor’s best performance. He effortlessly outshines his roles as Adonis Creed in the Creed series and as Erik Killmonger in Black Panther.  

Although the A-list actor is front and center in this frightening Deep South tale, he carries the whole movie with a little help from a strong supporting cast. Miles Caton makes his film debut as the Smokestack Twins’ cousin, Sammie Moore. He also goes by the nickname, Preacherboy. Delroy Lindo lends his musical talent as Delta Slim. No one can play the harmonica and the piano like him. Wunmi Mosaku portrays Annie, who is Smoke’s wife. Both she and Lindo received Oscar nominations for their supporting roles. Hailee Steinfeld joins the crew as Mary, and she was romantically involved with Stack. Jayme Lawson contributes her resonant voice as Pearline. I couldn’t imagine Sinners without this talented cast.       

Speaking of a strong cast, a motif that held my attention and reminded me that I’m watching a great movie is Charley Patton’s guitar. Little, innocent Sammie Moore had a death grip on that instrument even after he eventually fled away from evil and interrupted his father’s sermon. The distinct close-up of his bloody, bruised hand holding that guitar broken in half as if it is a weapon stays with me. In fact, that guitar ends up saving his life.           

My favorite scene is that epic dance sequence in the juke joint where all generations of different musicians come together before the vampiric carnage plagues almost everyone. What starts out as Sammie Moore strumming that exact guitar, including its trusty metal plate, and Delta Slim playing the piano shifts gears into a centerpiece montage that I won’t forget. My eyes lit up when I saw a Jimi-Hendrixian guitarist with hints of George Clinton shred quite the solo on the dance floor. Then, it was just as exciting to see a DJ, obviously reminiscent of Run-D.M.C.'s Jam Master Jay, take over the stage with his turntables. I can’t leave out the breakdancers that spice up the evening. Even a tribesman's commanding Zaouli dance lights up this once-in-a-lifetime party.

Now, onto the vampire attacks! Remmick, portrayed by Jack O’Connell, is a bloodthirsty, ghoulish Irishman. Beware of his beady, glowing eyes. That is when you will know that he is nothing but trouble. He attempts to crash the exclusive opening night at the juke joint. Although this lead vampire is initially shunned from joining the party, that does not stop him from preying upon several guests one by one. Once he has taken a bite out of enough victims, they all go after whomever is left, mainly Smoke, Stack, and Sammie Moore. When Pearline belts out “Pale, Pale Moon”, the powerful number sets the stage for the unavoidable malevolence, so get ready when you hear that stomp of a blues song. It is startling how one festive shindig turns into a hellish, bloody nightmare.

Another favorite scene of mine involves a group of vampires waltzing around in the woods while singing the traditional Irish folk song, “Rocky Road to Dublin.” Quite a sinister jig stayed etched inside my head. This is when I knew that almost all the cast has reached the point of no return.   

Some movies make me giddy because of their excellent, creatively timed needle drops. Sinners takes the task of music selections a step further and masterfully blends the blues, rock and roll, gospel music, jazz, and hip-hop all together. Coogler personifies the music performances so naturally that I found myself applauding the song and dance numbers right before I am thrusted back into the terror-filled bedlam. It's a profound reminder of how all these genres are interconnected, from Robert Johnson to Herbie Hancock, to Mahalia Jackson to Wu-Tang Clan, to The Black Keys. No matter how dark a scene gets, the main characters reinforce the bond that the blues, gospel music, and hip-hop all share.

I'm also glad that Sinners has a mid-credits scene and a post-credits scene that are worth my time as the movie wraps up. It's nice to see blues legend, Buddy Guy, at the movies as our prevailing but much, much older hero, Sammie Moore. Even during these final moments, the nefarious past still comes back to haunt him. An unsettling encounter with two surprise guests at a club seal the deal as to why music will always be relevant in a well-thought-out story similar to this one. Just like great acting and memorable writing, characterizing timeless music can bolster any movie.   

Its comparison to From Dusk Till Dawn and Get Out is inevitable mainly because of similar subject matter and a Halloween-friendly mood. Luckily, Ryan Coogler brings something new to the table when it comes to discussions involving horror lore, organized crime, and race. From Dusk Till Dawn leans more into hammy grindhouse territory with pride. Just like Sinners, Get Out also won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for its modern-day, satirical blend of horror tropes and systemic racism. Sinners swaps the suburbs for the Jim Crow South. The twists and turns in the plot hit all the right notes just like the songs performed throughout the movie, and that makes this experience even more fun and timeless. In fact, Sinners feels like a concert and treats the suspense like a driving rhythm; perhaps the beat of a drum. This is why the historical drama involving vampires has become a game changer.  

Apparently, another surprising source of inspiration for Ryan Coogler’s Sinners was “One” by Metallica. The more I think about it, Kirk Hammett’s final, paper-thin-sounding-but-still-out-of-control, marathon guitar solo in that popular hit single would synchronize perfectly with the shots of Smoke mowing down all the racist baddies with his Tommy gun and throwing hand grenades at them. So, there you go. Even heavy metal music found a subtle way to be a part of this Southern Gothic horror entry.

This is what happens when a major studio gives hard-working auteurs more liberty with their own vision. In this case, you get a truly original movie that successfully marries the horror genre with the history of music. Now that’s a combination that you don’t see every day.

Sinners is available to borrow on DVD from the Jefferson County Library Cooperative, including all   Birmingham Public Library locations.

Reviewed by William Anthony, Librarian I -  BPL Citizen Services Department