“Sinners” A Visually Unique Must See Film

A little over a month ago, “Sinners” opened in theaters nationwide to really stellar reviews and also became a big financial success. And, after a little wait, I finally had the chance to check out this recent box office hit.

Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers return to their Mississippi hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.

“Sinners” is definitely a movie that took me by surprise. This movie, which is an original idea from talented director Ryan Coogler, delivers a truly visual story fused in with some incredible music. The movie’s intriguing story kicks it up a notch or two with its vampire portion of the story.

This movie is an immersive big screen experience that can actually get a little emotional during some scenes. “Sinners” also features a truly unique blend of horror, music and a touch of a Western element. It’s actually quite rare for an original film like this that’s also one of the most talked about films recently released.

Before I get into the vampire-horror aspects of the movie, I really need to talk about one of the most stand out sequences in the film, which has been touched upon slightly in the marketing and trailers.

One of the characters, Sammie, is one of the characters that we follow in the film. There is a pivotal moment in the film where we see Sammie playing his blues music at the recently opened juke joint. The pivotal moment comes into play when we see his blues music playing conjure up spirits from the past and future.

Throughout this sequence, we see spirits from different eras begin to appear, including West African tribal dancers, historical musicians and modern day DJs, which creates a visually compelling (and well-shot) sequence. This sequence also draws in Rennick and the other vampires.

“Sinners” also delivers some intriguing vampire-horror elements throughout the film, primarily at the half-way point after the scene that I just talked about. The vampires that are featured are not exactly your typical bloodthirsty creatures. The film symbolizes them as a generational impact of trauma and violence. Those moments with the vampires are still quite interesting and tense.

Another intriguing aspect of the film’s vampire story is that the vampires, particularly the character of Rennick, use music to their advantage. They actually use traditional Irish songs like “The Rocky Road to Dublin” to fuel their horde and lure any potential victims. “Sinners” is also amazingly shot and the performances from the entire cast, including a scene-stealing Delroy Lindo, is simply great!

So, while “Sinners” is showing on the big screen everywhere, I highly suggest you check it out! This is definitely one of those films that shouldn’t wait until it hits streaming! Also make sure to stay during the credits for an additional scene that adds more to the story in an unexpected and great way.

Cast: Michael B. Jordan (Elijah “Smoke” Moore/Elias “Stack” Moore); Hailee Steinfeld (Mary); Miles Caton (Sammie “Preacher Boy” Moore); Jack O’Connell (Remmick); Wunmi Mosaku (Annie); Jayme Lawson (Pearline); Omar Miller (Cornbread); Peter Draimanis (Bert); Lola Kirke (Joan); Delroy Lindo (Delta Slim).

Writer/director: Ryan Coogler (Black Panther; Black Panther: Wakanda Forever; producer of Creed III).

Trivia: Ryan Coogler said that two of his biggest influences for the movie were “From Dusk Till Dawn” and “The Faculty” - two 90s horror movies both directed by Robert Rodriguez. A lot of the music in the movie was recorded live on set, with the cast members performing alongside other blues musicians. 

MPA: Rated R for strong bloody violence, sexual content and language  (running time 138 minutes)

• Ryan Coogler explained in an interview that Remmick was partially inspired by the character Death in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022), noting both his eyes and demeanor.

• Director Ryan Coogler says he had the American heavy metal band Metallica on his mind when he was laying out the story's rhythms and beats. "I wanted the movie to have the simplicity and simultaneously, the profound nature of a Delta blues song. But I wanted it to have the contrast, variation and the inevitability of a great Metallica song, like 'One'," he says. "One" is the signature song from the band's 1988 album, And Justice For All. "It starts off with almost like an easy-listening solo, you know what I'm saying? And then it just goes bats*** insane, in a way you could have never seen coming and at the same time, it felt like it was going there all along," Coogler says. "The movie's basically that." Lars Ulrich, the drummer for and one of the founding members of Metallica, is credited as one of the drummers in this movie's scoring orchestra.

• Jack O'Connell signed on despite only getting to read the script once, as his character would be singing Irish folk music, a dream come true for a fan of the genre.

• Director Ryan Coogler said that two of his biggest influences for the film were From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) and The Faculty (1998) both directed by Robert Rodriguez.

• Much of the film was recorded live on set, with the cast members performing alongside other blues musicians.

• During the pre-production, Ryan Coogler sent composer Ludwig Goransson several recordings from the 1930s and 1940s, particularly those of Robert Johnson and Tommy Johnson.

• The pressure of filming the twin scenes relied on Michael B. Jordan, and he opened up about the challenges of playing twins in an interview with Rotten Tomatoes. Jordan shared that it's complicated to explain and even more difficult to execute, and sometimes he would be talking to a body double and sometimes to no one at all while shooting those scenes. Jordan also explained it was a challenge for the rest of the actors in the scene, as they had to come up with the best technique to achieve the desired result. Jordan mentioned the new technologies they had to use, such as halo cameras, facial recognition, a multi-camera rig, and more that left a small margin of error for him and the other actors. Jordan explained they had to be very careful not to step on another actor's line or take the place of his twin brother, but once they got the rhythm, it became easier. Despite all the challenges and problems the crew and cast faced, the final result makes it all worth it.

• The overall narrative structure of the film (dramatic first half where we meet the colorful cast, second half with the leads besieged by vampires inside a rundown bar) hearkens back to From Dusk Till Dawn (1996).

• In exchange for the distribution rights to the film, director Ryan Coogler was also reportedly asking studios for first-dollar gross, final cut privilege, and ownership of the film 25 years after its release, which he would be granted. The following month, Warner Bros. won the distribution rights to the film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7joulECTx_U