Directed by: Ryan Coogler
Written by: Ryan Coogler
Run Time: 2 hours 18 minutes

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There are certain cinematic pairings that will always inspire anticipation. Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio, Pedro Alomdóvar and Penélope Cruz, and more recently, Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan. Since Coogler’s debut feature Fruitvale Station (2013) Jordan has starred in every one of his films. Together they have successfully rebooted the Rocky franchise with spin-off Creed (2015) and provided the Marvel Cinematic Universe with one of its biggest hits, Black Panther (2018). Unsurprisingly then, Coogler’s latest film Sinners sees them team up once more, but this time with something completely original.

Set in 1932, Michael B. Jordan plays identical twin brothers Smoke and Stack, who return to their hometown in the Mississippi Delta after seven years in Chicago. Keen to come back with a bang the brothers buy a saw mill with plans to convert it into a juke joint. However, on opening night they encounter an unexpected evil that threatens the success of their new venture and puts the lives of their entire community at risk.

At first Coogler takes his time, slowly establishing a rich variety of interesting characters and developed backstories. Smoke and Stack’s reputation quickly becomes clear as locals learn of their homecoming, with a subsequent sense of fear also returning. Jordan has the imposing physicality to carry this off with ease, while also injecting his charismatic star power twofold. A softer side to his characters is later revealed – also convincingly conveyed – with the introduction of their respective love interests, Mary (Haliee Steinfeild) and Annie (Wunmi Mosaku). Smoke and Annie’s storyline proves particularly moving, with Wunmi Moska confidently becoming one of the cast’s brightest stars.

She’s in good company though, as Sinners proudly boasts one of the most accomplished ensembles seen on screen for sometime. Other standouts include an equally amusing and affecting Delroy Lindo as Delta Slim, a talented harmonica player recruited for opening night; a delightfully demented Jack O’Connell who plays Irish-immigrant vampire Remmick, the film’s predominant antagonist; and a very capable Miles Caton – in his star-making debut role – who plays Sammie, the son of a preacher whose love and gift for music will prove pivotal.

These excellent performances, along with several other smaller and similarly superb supporting turns would be enough alone to make Sinners worthwhile, but this is a Ryan Coogler film so you know he’s got more to offer. His proven skill for directing action, previously seen in his franchise favourites, is also on full display here. He provides audiences with a barrage of blood-soaked vampire violence that’s both spirited and scary. The aforementioned O’Connell especially excels in his vampiric role with his sinister grin suiting his devilish character down to the ground. Coogler gives him enough depth to be explored in a film of his own, which is really something considering that Sinners is a vampire movie second, and a celebration of Black music first.

Coogler’s setting, characters, script and most importantly his soundtrack are all carefully constructed in a way to honour the power and brilliance of the blues, and Black music as a whole – past, present and future. Ludwig Göransson’s score is particularly well utilised, infusing into the film in a way that energises its biggest action moments – something also true of Jayme Lawson’s formidable musical performance as Pearline – but also underpins characters’ reflections and memories of past events as they poignantly recall them. One sequence in particular sees the plot perfectly paused, making way for an electrifying assault on the senses. In this moment the music of Sinners quite literally burns the house down in what will become the film’s defining scene and one of Coogler’s all-time best.

He celebrates the different eras of his culture, assuredly demonstrating how their undeniable genius attracts spite and envy from outsiders, bringing persecution to Black people and other minorities – notable through his thoughtful inclusion of the Mississippi Delta Chinese. His use of vampires brings with it an obvious metaphor for cultural appropriation as they quite literally suck the life out of these communities, but he takes it deeper. His film presents a more detailed and interesting look at ancestry, afterlife and the power of music in telling history and connecting cultures.

To do all this justice is no mean feat, and while Coogler is largely successful he isn’t always wholly in tune with his script. In brief moments he has a tendency to over explain, rather than have complete confidence in his already sound screenwriting. This is felt nowhere more so than in the film’s unnecessary mid-credits scene. Its inclusion at all feels somewhat ironic considering he’s now free from the constraints of Marvel. It would be no bad thing if you made it out of the cinema before it begins, as while it doesn’t undo the great work that comes before it, a stronger more impactful ending Sinners would have without it.

Yet, despite all of its rich history and important cultural references, Sinners is also entirely content, at times, just being a straightforward action horror banger. And with not one but two whole Michael B. Jordans at his disposal, coupled with his expert eye for action, Ryan Coogler affords this versatile vampire flick some seriously blockbuster bite.

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Star Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

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