There’s nothing quite like a good vampire movie to get the blood flowing. Sinners, the new film from Ryan Coogler (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), manages to offer a unique spin on the creatures of the night; while they adhere to the rules you’d expect from historic vampire lore, the structure of the narrative might lead you to believe something else is going on entirely. The buildup of incredible blues music and a roaring soundtrack in 1932 Clarksdale, Mississippi, gives Sinners its own flavour, and things get especially tasty when the monsters do eventually come knocking.
Identical twins, Smoke and Stack (both played by Michael B. Jordan), are infamous for their money-making schemes. When they return for a homecoming, they plan to open a juke joint (a bar to drink, dance and gamble) to earn some more dollars. The first large chunk of Sinners establishes a strong sense of place in the Deep South. Michael B. Jordan offers just enough subtle nuances to the brothers, each accentuated by their different coloured costumes to help the audience differentiate between the two.
“…we get to know these people and genuinely fear for them when the fangs are front and centre.”
The setting is visually stunning and well plotted out, and almost feels like a heist movie to begin with, as Smoke and Stack “get the old gang back together”, encountering past flames along the way. The most surprising of these includes newcomer Sammie (Miles Caton), their cousin, who has a real talent for singing the blues. Beyond that, Hailee Steinfeld and Wunmi Mosaku play just two of the strong, compelling women in Sinners, with a supporting cast full of likable folks. The vampires and the chaos that follows their introduction don’t kick off until 45 minutes into the movie, and it’s all the better for it; we get to know these people and genuinely fear for them when the fangs are front and centre.
It’s all punctuated by a truly stellar soundtrack; in fact, music is baked into Sinners in such a way that you’d almost put it in the musical category, a very interesting spin in horror, certainly. Characters don’t start singing about their feelings and what they’re doing, so it’s not quite that, but blues is such an important part of the story that it may as well be a character in and of itself. One thrilling scene moves through music history in such a clever and stunning visual way that it’s a true pleasure to just kick back and take it all in; this movie should be enjoyed on the large screen.
Of course, once things do start getting bloody, Sinners is more than up to the task; the tension builds and grows palpably, and when the first member of the crew inevitably gets bit, the floodgates open, so to speak. The vampires themselves have an alluring charm; these are the mysterious kind that want to convince you that eternal life is the best outcome. Jack O’Connell does an excellent job portraying the lead vamp; a clear darkness in him, yet still coming off as somewhat likable. They’re vicious, absolutely, but the way they attempt to convince the humans and get under their skin, desperate for a cheeky invite inside, makes for a fun back-and-forth, even when their menacing eyes glow red in the distance.
Among clear themes of racism and cultural appropriation, Sinners successfully walks a fine line between obvious metaphor and strong storytelling, due largely in part to its believable writing and characters to root for. The cinematography, costuming, set design and soundtrack all come together beautifully.
Sinners plays with the idea of immortality, both with its music and supernatural demons, and overall delivers a thrilling feast for the senses that is not to be missed.
Sinners is in cinemas now.
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Checkpoint Gaming attended a screening of Sinners as a guest of Universal Pictures Australia.
About the Author
Luke Mitchell
he/him
Luke spends his time making radio, playing video games, binge-watching TV, getting unreasonably invested in wrestling, hosting bear events and hanging out with his beautiful pets.
