Michael B. Jordan and Miles Caton deliver acting masterclasses in Sinners. Photo: Warner Bros.
Vampire movies are pretty standard for Hollywood.
Dracula, Nosferatu and even Twilight have dominated the silver screen to the point where some are sick and tired of the genre.
With that said, please, please, please go see Sinners.
Directed by Ryan Coogler (Black Panther and Creed), Sinners is set in 1932 and follows twin brothers Smoke and Stack, both played by Michael B. Jordan, as they return to Mississippi following a stint running liquor for infamous mobster Al Capone.
The duo look to open their own speakeasy for their African American community after purchasing an abandoned barn from a known Ku Klux Klan ‘wizard’.
Now that alone sounds bloody awesome (excuse the pun), but the final cherry on top is the inclusion of vampires, who believe the music playing at the speakeasy, especially that played by the son of a local priest, can transcend space and time.
Now, while this may seem a bit all over the place, the film uses its two hour and 20 minute run time to tie everything in a nice, neat bow, while also giving each supporting character their own time to shine.
We are introduced to members of the community and how they know Smoke and Stack.
Each has a reason to attend the speakeasy, whether that be supplying food, serving as security, performing or even just rekindling relationships. Each cast member gets time to shine, which makes the blood bath when the vampires eventually show up super impactful.
Now with all that set up done, much like the film itself, we can finally talk about the vampires. They are creepy as hell. They aren’t jump scares for the sake of scaring the audience, but they are difficult to look at, which creates tension in and of itself.
Their motive isn’t always clear but when they arrive, they force our partygoers to make tricky decisions and pose questions on who has and hasn’t turned, tormenting the survivors.
There are plenty of motifs to the African American experience in America at the time and even now. While I’m not qualified by any means to talk about them, the vampires, the setting and the use of blues music all contribute to the conversation.
These motifs are further expressed and solidified by the story’s setting.
The 1932 South USA setting is immaculate. The main street of the town the film is set in looks incredible. The costumes, the music and dialogue all come together to take the audience back through time. It is a testament to Coogler’s direction.
Perhaps the most pleasing news to come since Sinner’s release is just how well it has done at the box office.
Sinners has made more than $70 million in its first week, on a $90 million budget. This is a huge, huge win for an MA/R-rated, original horror film.
The critics and audience response have also been spectacular, with its Rotten Tomatoes Score sitting at 98 per cent for critics and 97 per cent for audiences. For context, film scores are never that close while also being that high. These are Shawshank Redemption, Godfather numbers.
To summarise, please support this film. Show Hollywood that original films can still be money-makers. On top of that, just support a good film. You’ll see an awesome performance from Michael B. Jordan, music that will get you moving, scares that will get you jumping and top-notch production.
Also, there is one musical scene in particular that will go down in history. You’ll know it when you see it.
Sinners is showing in cinemas across the country now.
