Ryan Coogler is a filmmaker hellbent on giving Black folks a reason to show up and show out in theaters near you. While many of us discovered him with Black Panther, he had already sent warning shots to the industry with Fruitvale Station and Creed. Films that established no matter what the subject matter is, his art is made with Black people in mind. This is a welcome departure from the racial trauma porn that many of us are constantly subjected to in the media.
Coogler’s work is more interested in capturing Black joy while acknowledging the entirety of the Black experience. He does not shy away from the sentimental. Nor does he sugarcoat that this country runs on racism rather than Dunkin’ Donuts. He is just aware that we deserve more in the year 2025 of our Lord Jordan Peele. This is why Blerds have been eagerly awaiting his first horror film, Sinners.
Michael B. Jordan Shines as Twin Brothers in Sinners
Sinners takes place in 1932 on the day twin brothers Smoke and Stack (both played by Michael B. Jordan) return to their hometown in the Delta. The two have survived WWI, managed to escape with their lives working for infamous Chicago mobsters, and are ready for a new venture. With stolen liquor and wads of cash, they set out to open a jukejoint for Black folks. They enlist their younger cousin, and some old friends, and begin to reignite things with their former flames as they think they are starting a new chapter.
However, their grand opening is interrupted when a band of vampires realizes they have someone they want. The leader of the undead, Remmick (Jack O’Connell), is delightfully creepy and will not take no for an answer. What ensues is a fun bloodbath by a filmmaker who refuses to treat his movies as if they should not all be Oscar contenders.
Again, Coogler makes movies for Black folks. So, there is a lot more Black joy in this movie than I would have expected. There is barely any vampire activity in the first half of Sinners. However, whenever I almost felt salty about that, I remembered lesser movies that took their time. Those same titles are the ones people claim are pure cinema, so those cinephiles should let Coogler cook.
He gives us a reverse From Dusk Till Dawn situation where the vampires want inside the establishment to feed on our beloved characters. This also allows Sinners to sustain tension as we wait to see who will be foolish enough to eventually invite them in and start the battle.
While Sinners never completely veers into Vampires Vs. the Bronx territory, it is clear that Remmick is offering a different brand of gentrification. He is trying to sell them the more subtle flavor that is assimilation. He offers friendship, community, and eternal life. However, it comes with a hefty price: their souls and identities.
The very freedom they have strived for with this business endeavor and their own community that welcomed them back with open arms. He wants them to forsake their individualism and become part of his undead hive.
Miles Caton Steals the Show as Sammie in Sinners
Most thirsty people were sold by the idea of getting two Michael B. Jordans for the price of one. However, the movie belongs to Miles Caton, who plays Sammie, the younger cousin of the twins. Sammie’s dad is a preacher, but Sammie wants to be a musician. Spending this fateful day with his cousins, whom he idolizes, as they take him under his wing, is clearly the best day of his life. At least until night falls and people start dying. Caton infuses the character with so much little brother energy that it is hard not to feel protective of him.
As the bodies begin piling up, the anxiety for his well-being skyrockets. As a lover of Black vampire cinema, I could not help but wonder if his scenes in the church were a little bit of a nod to Bill Gunn’s Ganja & Hess.
Rounding out the main cast is Wunmi Mosaku as Annie. Mosaku fans will recognize her as another woman who stays 10 steps ahead of everyone else. She clocks the weirdos outside as not human and catches everyone else up. She is also tasked with laying down the rules, which is a vital role in every vampire tale. Annie and Smoke are hesitantly rekindling their relationship after suffering a traumatic blow years ago. Mary (Hailee Steinfeld) is a woman who has a history with Stack.
Their fling meant more to them than he would like to let on, and her mother practically raised the twins. Because of her skin tone, she can pass as a white woman but knows where her real community is. Like Annie, she is a baddie in love with one of the troublesome twins. Unlike Annie, she makes a grave mistake.
We also get the added treat of Delroy Lindo as Delta Slim. A drunk musician who has some of the funniest lines once all hell breaks loose. However, one of the things that I love about Sinners is that it acknowledges Black folks were not the only ones keeping non-white communities afloat. A Choctaw tribe tries to warn a racist she is in danger. Grace Chow (Li Jun Li) and Bo Chow (Yao) are another hot couple in this dancery. They run a few businesses in the Black part of town, and the twins know they are the first people to call when plotting their event.
They are entrenched in this community and a Jack and Jill of many trades. They can find catfish for 100 people, make signs, and patch up thieves who have been shot. This is awesome, but it sadly leads to them getting front-row seats to the ensuing carnage.
Ludwig Göransson’s Music Elevates Sinners’ Vampire Tale
Coogler is not just reteaming with Jordan for Sinners, but he also tagged composer Ludwig Göransson for this gory tale. Göransson has worked on all of Coogler’s films, but this is the first one that puts music at the center. As someone who hates musicals and is a recovering theatre kid, I got nervous the first few times musical moments scratched at the window of my vampire movie. However, music is crucial to the plot, and this thread pays off for people who know a movie does not end until the credits are over.
The use of music also helps the film further set itself apart from other vampire movies it will be compared to for eternity. The vampire’s songs are so different from what Sammie and the other acts have brought this night that it’s offputting. It instantly alerts our main characters that they are not like us.
I jokingly refer to Remmick and his squad as Mumford & Sons when explaining my journey to accepting the music was here to stay. However, he and his bloody band of vampires are disturbing no matter how hard they dance or sing. This is partly because Coogler also brought back Director of Photography Autumn Durald Arkapaw, who he partnered with for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. So, this movie looks gorgeous, and Arkapaw made history by being the first woman cinematographer to shoot a feature on large format IMAX film.
I did not realize what a difference this would make until I was in the theater. So many shots of Sinners belong in the MoMA.
Is Sinners a Cultural Milestone for Black Cinema?
I know that Sinners runtime is a commitment. I also know most of us were going for the Coogler Effect and the hot cast. However, the film is another pop culture shift on this filmmaker’s resume. In the way that Black Panther became a historical moment, Sinners is achieving the same. We can argue all day about if it could have been hornier, what scenes could be trimmed, and so forth.
However, none of the nitpicky things undercuts the social significance of what this film does. It transcends its subgenre as it becomes one of the best vampire movies of my generation. My only regret is that I do not live in one of the places showing the film the way the director intended it to be seen.
Sinners is a bloody, sexy, devilish good time. It is also a love letter to Black filmgoers as it reminds us the price of freedom never came cheap for those who came before us. However, a few seconds of freedom is a lot for people who are used to turning crumbs into a feast. Why should we assimilate when we can keep doing us, cousin?
After all, the drinks are cold, the catfish is hot, and the music is better on the inside.
