Sinners
While its exact origin is unknown, the sounds of the blues began to emerge in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th century, proving popular amongst African-American communities in the south. What followed was a reshaping of the musical landscape forever, but with it came scepticism and a belief that the blues was the “devil’s music”. Ryan Coogler’s latest vampire thriller tackles this notion head-on, bringing the heart of the blues and the desires of the devil to life in a battle for survival.
“Everyone’s heard of the SmokeStack twins,” but now they are trying to leave their notorious life of crime behind. Smoke (Michael B Jordan) and Stack (Michael B Jordan) return to their hometown with the aim of opening up their own juke joint, a place where hard-working people can come drink and let off steam to some good music. Hiring the guitar-playing talents of their younger cousin Sammie (Miles Caton), the brothers open their new establishment to rapturous success, but lurking in the shadows is a more sinister being that aims to lure everyone to the side of evil.
Jordan reunites with Coogler for yet another collaboration, this time playing both Smoke and Stack, and is immediately convincing as both brothers. It truly is astonishing how far visual effects have come to the point that it is near impossible to tell edited sequences with the two brothers apart. Caton also delivers an impressive debut performance as the vulnerable yet visionary Sammie. Most of the music performed in the film comes from his wonderful voice and his guitar, and he truly brings the picture to life. Jack O’Connell also delightfully chews the scenery in his role as the devil, showing once again why his star forever continues to be on the rise.
Autumn Durald Arkapaw’s beautiful cinematography takes advantage of the deep south surroundings of cotton fields, dusty wooden high streets and tapestry-esque sunsets, resulting in some stunning visuals that you almost feel you can touch. Sinners is shot in IMAX, although it certainly isn’t a necessity to see it in this format. Music is the soul of this movie, and multiple award-winning composer Ludwig Goransson is the mastermind behind the expertly crafted blues score, one that is utilised most notedly during an abstract sequence midway through the second act.
Sinners is the first movie Coogler has made that is not based on pre-existing characters, and you can tell he has invested considerable energy into the screenplay, making it a really strong movie of its genre. The director takes his time creating the portrait of the Jim Crow South, allowing an hour of foundation laying and character building before even suggesting the narrative of the film is about to turn incredibly dark. The tale relies not on horror and jump scares, but good solid storytelling, and while there are a few imperfect elements to the movie, including a couple of logical flaws in character decisions, the plot gets itself over the line relatively unscathed.
It is a joy to see a clever piece of original cinema such as Sinners come to life and above all else, it feels really fresh to see a vampiric premise set in 1930s America feed off the legend of Robert Johnson, a blues musician who supposedly sold his soul to the devil to create some of the greatest music of its time.
Guy Lambert
Sinners is released nationwide on 18th April 2025.
Watch the trailer for Sinners here:
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