When cinema is given proper time and attention, it can be the most powerful vessel of emotion that man has ever created. “Sinners” is an example of a film that was given that time and attention.
“Sinners” was released worldwide on April 18 and has made $161.6 million worldwide in its first two weeks in theaters. Sacramento State grad Ryan Coogler directed the film and showcased a masterclass in world building, character development, story creation and dialogue. Coogler effectively blends genres using elements of horror, action and comedy to tell both a creative and emotional tale.
The movie is set in Clarksdale, Mississippi on Oct. 16, 1932. The entirety of the story takes place over a 24-hour period.
The film tells the tale of the Smokestack twins, Smoke and Stack, both played by Michael B. Jordan (“Creed”), returning home from Chicago to buy an abandoned mill with plans to set up a juke joint. The start of the film follows them as they pick up younger cousin Sammie, a blues-loving preacher boy, played by Miles Caton, in his acting debut, as they split up to travel around town to pick up supplies and friends to set up the joint, as well as get word out about the grand opening.
This is Jordan’s greatest performance to date, by how he separates the two twins with distinct physicality and accents. This is Coogler and Jordan’s fifth movie together and they work so well as a pair due to their ability to execute dialogue. Coogler has a style of writing dialogue to give every word of a sentence importance and Jordan’s delivery of his lines makes even the most insignificant word sound important.
The joint starts off with a bang; singing and dancing capped off with a dramatic performance from Sammie. His performance is so powerful it invokes the ear of an uninvited guest, a man by the name of Remmick, played by Jack O’Connell (“Ferrari”). A conversation between Stack and his former lover, Mary, played by Hailee Steinfeld (“Bumblebee”) leads Mary to a conversation with Remmick that sets up the climax of the film.
Caton comes from a singing background and he puts this fully to use in the movie. His voice is, as co-star Wummi Mosaku (“Loki”) puts it, “Like no other, it literally moves you”. It’s somehow both calming and tumultuous at the same time.
As the climax of the film heightens, the night devolves into a nightmare. Blood, death and despair rain inevitable as the unnatural takes over the Joint from within. The blues can be a peaceful form of music that can symbolize the pain this world brings, but as Sammie’s father says, “If you keep dancing with the devil, it just might follow you home.”
This movie could be watched countless times and there would still be something new to notice each time. Coogler leaves no plot point in the air. The falling action and conclusion were thought-provoking and it drew a desire to create that no movie has ever done before.
Something that separates the films Coogler directs is how he writes villains. They never have scenes of fluff, they are direct and convey a message without a need for the majority of screen time. He seems to never write true villains, but more reflections of the world and how it can twist man.
Coogler’s writing in the creation of Remmick, as a multi-layered original antagonist, is impeccable. He sets the tee and ball up for O’Connell who hits a home run. His deliverance of rational lines with unsettling body language capitalizes on what Remmick could be. Coogler’s dialogue choices for Remmick in the falling action give credence to the choices he influences out of the joint patrons.
Every element of cinematography, top down, is firing on all cylinders. No scene better encapsulates this than the scene of Sammie singing that draws Remmick to the juke. The representation of how his voice is powerful enough to call upon the past and future by showing musical arts throughout history was beautiful. The finale shot having a burning joint with everybody still in place dancing and singing, panning out in a single shot to Remmick and his cohorts looming ominously was executed perfectly. This attention to detail and stylistic choices in shot selection separates “Sinners” from the rest of the pack.
With the blues being such an important aspect of the movie, the score had to match. Oscar-winning composer Ludwig Göransson, who has composed every Coogler and Jordan collaboration to date, knocks it out of the park. The music throughout the movie provides another layer of emotion and adds to the overall ambiance of the film.
Coogler brought on Oscar-winning costume director Ruth E. Carter, for wardrobe choices that were visually stunning. The pair formerly worked on both “Black Panther” and “Wakanda Forever.” Carter sets the clothes to the time perfectly adding to the world, making it truly feel like a southern town in the 1930s.
“Sinners” is a generationally excellent movie. Anyone who worked on this movie in any way deserves their flowers and to forever be employed in Hollywood. This film is a culmination of what film can be and should be. It is an emotionally-driven masterpiece and is a gift to all that will view it.