Sinners is Everything We Need In Blockbuster Cinema
Ryan Coogler cements himself as one of the best filmmakers working today
Sinners, the newest film from Ryan Coogler, director of previous films including Creed and Black Panther stars regular collaborator Michael B. Jordan who plays twin brothers Smoke and Stack- they are trying to leave their sinful lives behind and create a new life for themselves. However, there is an evil lurking in these mens life as they continue to act up, being deceitful and ruthless in trying to create a new music bar that their community can enjoy. That is until this evil presence manifests its way in an unexpected but supernatural way.
That is all I will give away about the film. You probably already know that Sinners is a horror movie and that there is a supernatural twist involved. I find that to be unfortunate because the movie is really effective on creating a slow burn while watching- making the twist of the movie all the more affecting and absorbing. Sinners is a movie that could only be made by a filmmaker at the top of his game with all the power and creative influence he can get. Ryan Coogler, after creating the Black Panther films that went on to create so much acclaim and money- can do anything he wants in Hollywood. This being his blank check movie is one of the best cashed checks in recent movie memory.
One of the best aspects of Sinners is how inherently untraditional it is as a horror movie. This movie feels like it has a lot more arthouse sensibilities attached to it. This script is something I could see easily being picked up by a more independently minded studio like A24- so a major movie studio picking up a movie with this type of pacing is an ambitious undertaking. This is a major win for Warner Bros, who’s taken a lot of losses lately with terrible leadership decisions by CEO David Zagslov. A broken clock is right twice a day.
Sinners is a movie that takes its time to get going and it is so refreshing to see. The set up to this movie takes a long time, the central set piece is a bar area Smoke and Stash run for their brothers and sisters to come together and play music, drink and make love. This set piece isn’t introduced until an hour into the movie. This movie starts with us following several characters we see at the bar later, establishing their role in their community and their relationship to the twin brothers. This makes it all the more effective when their life is in peril in the second half. In a lot of ways, Coogler paces this film much like Tarantino did with his film The Hateful Eight. We get so much set up- so that slow burn payoff rings true and hits hard. Thankfully, the set up is anything but a slog. This movie boasts a really sharp screenplay with distinct and personable characters. The film also has a lot of flawed characters- the characters we follow aren’t cookie cutter or clean whatsoever, but the film justifies wanting to see them get a happy ending.
A boy follows Smoke and Stash to their barn to play music who they simply call ‘preacher boy’. Miles Caton plays preacher boy in his first ever film role and he is incredible in the film. He plays as the audience conduit as he sees the seedy world these characters inhabit. At the start of the film, his father warns him, “if you keep following the devil, he’s gonna follow you home,” which is the overarching theme of this entire film. The film does a great job of showing the deprivation of man, but the human aspect of it as well. We are tempted to indulge in pleasures of the world because it looks fun and feels good- but these simple satisfactions, malice hides in plain sight.
The film’s central theme is simply that we all are in our own ways, monster leeching on the blood of others (in a metaphorical sense or in this case a literal sense as well) for our own satisfaction. How at the end of the day, it’s easier to hurt others to make us feel alive, living is a struggle of a power inbalance. The only way to find peace is through love and vulnerability- something we all can easily hide from due to our own demons.
Coogler is able to make this thoughtful film about religion, classism and self actualization in an easily digestible way. Yet, his commercial appeal never compromises his artistic sensibilities. He is able to do both seamlessly. This movie has some of the most gorgeous cinematography and production design I’ve seen so far this year. The shot composition is so unique and challenging- including one take featuring an assortment of music that made my jaw drop. This movie feels so lived in. I love the music in the film as well, which is an incredible mix and blend of genre that becomes it’s own character throughout the movie. The blues and country elements presented in each scene felt nostalgic to be as someone who grew up in the midwest. This movie has an incredible cast full of memorable performances including Delroy Lindo, a man who brings humor and levity to every scene without compromising the tone or tension of a sequence.
Sinners is a revelation, the word of mouth is spreading like wildfire around this movie and there’s a good reason why. Sinners should be a shining example to the Hollywood system that original storytelling will make people excited to rush to the theatre. This movie is a light in a dismal time to get cool ideas made. In the recent Apple TV series The Studio, it shows how hard it is to get good art made in a system that is commercial to a fault. Coogler comes in and shows how you can engage an audience, incite them to see your movie and still convey the messages you want the audiences to hear. This movie is a miracle and I would implore you to see it if you haven’t already, it’ll go down as one of the years best films and it’s certainly one of my favorites of the year so far.
