Sinners – REVIEW

Michael B. Jordan and Michael B. Jordan in Sinners (Michael C. Jordan…?)


Look, I know this is late. Plain and simple reason for it. I wanted to get out and watch Sinners again before I wanted to write about it. I finally ended up doing that, so I now feel pretty confident in how I want to put into words just how incredible Sinners is. If you didn’t know already, this is the latest film from Ryan Coogler, who’s directed Creed and Fruitvale Station, as well as the Black Panther films. Already, Coogler has been a part of huge hits like the Black Panther movies, the first arguably being a cultural phenomenon that hasn’t really happened yet. We often forget that Black Panther made more money than Avengers: Infinity War, and while Coogler wasn’t at the forefront of that conversation, he was the writer and director, and that alone may be enough. Sinners is the first original movie Coogler’s made, not based on any existing material or a real event, and just to keep it simple, it really feels like he’s leveled up as a filmmaker, even after Black Panther. To keep it vague and not spoil anything about it, Sinners is an excellent blend of period drama, gothic horror, and action rolled into one massive movie. It feels cut from the same cloth of John Carpenter’s best work, especially The Thing in one scene, and I think it could end up being regarded in that camp soon. Why I wanted to see this a second time, though, is one of its strengths. Like Jordan Peele’s NOPE, watching this knowing what happens in the movie ends up really bolstering what makes this movie so special. What is it that makes Sinners so special, though? What is the x-factor that makes Sinners such an event of a movie? To me, outside of the genre-blending, it’s the use of music. There’s this mind-melting one-take scene just under halfway through the movie that shows the “power” of music that hinges on the whole movie, and with that comes a powerhouse performance from newcomer Miles Caton, from both acting and musicianship. A lot of this also comes from Ludwig Göransson, the film’s composer and executive producer. He just won an Oscar for his work for Oppenheimer’s music, and I expect another one to come this March. This might also be my favorite performance from Michael B. Jordan, who leads most of the film in dual roles, the Smokestack Twins. Even right from the first shot of them without any dialogue, you know what makes them different, which makes their eventual fates in the movie hit even harder. I know I praised Robert Pattinson’s dual performance in Mickey 17 earlier this year, but Jordan wipes that performance out, mainly because Jordan just has so much more to work with. The whole ensemble of the movie is near-perfect too, a melting pot of great performances from Hailee Steinfeld, Wunmi Mosaku, Jack O’Connell, and Delroy Lindo being my personal favorites. There are so many different elements in play that popped into focus just off the first watch alone that it ends up being a sprawling story about people who want to cut loose and break free of what troubles haunt them, no matter who they are or what the troubles are. “You can go to war for this country, but you better not dance on its soil.” That’s not a direct quote from Sinners, but that’s the only context I’ll give to just one character in the movie. Even the use of horror in Sinners feeds into this message, with O’Connell’s villainous performance revealing layer after layer about who his character truly is with every line, action, and even movement until the very end. Honestly, just go see Sinners. I promise you that you’ll have a great time, and within the theme of the movie, you’ve earned it.


Ryan’s Grade: A+