New-age horror film, “Sinners,” quickly became a roaring success with an average rating of 8.2/10 on IMDb and 98% on Rotten Tomatoes. Released on April 18, director Ryan Coogler paved the way for this successful imaginative film, but not without the help of incredible performances by main stars like Michael B. Jordan, Miles Caton, and Jack O’Connell.
Set in 1932, the film follows the story of twins, Elijah “Smoke” Moore and Elias “Stack” Moore, both played by Jordan. The “Smoke Stack Twins,” who had previously moved to Chicago, have come back to their hometown of Clarksdale, Mississippi, to escape their problematic past. Upon their return, the brothers bring together music and friends to create the “Club Juke,” a barn bought for the purpose of these weekly parties. The brothers go through their own challenges prior to the first party, including Smoke’s reconciliation with his deceased son’s mother, Annie, played by Wunmi Monsaku, or Stack trying to smoothly slide back into his old life in the Mississippi Delta without any conflict with previous lover, Mary, who is played by Haliee Steinfeld.
Amongst this drama, Coolger was still able to incorporate southern culture and folklore elements, like vampires, into the movie to create an eerie, supernatural atmosphere. Even with these many plot points, the film still flows incredibly well, and every storyline has a cohesive narrative that rarely falters.
As for historical context, the film excels in creating a realistic and accurate environment. The setting is based in the South and takes place during the Jim Crow Era pushing race to the forefront of the movie. From simple displays of segregation causing divisions in a street market to discussions of the KKK, the movie didn’t shy away from tackling harder topics. The film also acknowledged the presence of Asian-Americans in this time period, notably, Li Jun Li had an incredible performance as Grace Chow, a character whose story is often untold in Southern films.
While the topics of “Sinners” were handled well, the cast was able to take it to the next level. Jordan exhibited his range as he played two vastly different characters and made sorrowful scenes even more heavy-hearted with his tear-jerking performance. O’Connell delivered a haunting act as he plays the main vampire, Remmick. Caton, playing Sammie, had a powerful acting debut as he was the primary musician, carrying the bulk of the soundtrack. All around, every actor perfected a heavy southern drawl that transported audiences adding on to the films authenticity.
The movie, while having many independent storylines, almost always comes back to music. Whether that be someone singing in the background or Sammie play being heard strumming his guitar, music underlines the entire narrative. The soundtrack ensured the movie didn’t drown in bleak moments, as it filled quieter scenes with the musicality that the rest of the movie was enriched with.
Even with the film gaining many positive reviews and an overall favorable response, there were a few faults. While the vampires looked terrifyingly realistic with their glowing red eyes, piercing teeth, and chilling body language, their impact fell short making the movie lack the level of horror many were hoping for. Furthering the movie’s downplay of horror, much of the blood used during intense fighting scenes seemed incredibly thin and watery, making it splash or squirt instead of run like typical blood. However, the makeup done for vampire bites looked hauntingly real with thick, dark red blood coating various characters.
“Sinners” is easily a box office hit grossing $122.5 million domestically and $161.6 million worldwide after just shy of two weeks from its release date. Watching the film in theaters adds to its excellence as the quiet, dark atmosphere exemplifies suspenseful and scary moments, so make sure to buy tickets while showings are still available.
