“Sinners”

”Sinners” Review

“SINNERS”

March and April have been good months to be a film fan. While most eyes are primed on “Thunderbolts,” which comes out in a few weeks, the real king of Spring has finally revealed itself.  “Sinners,” is Ryan Coogler’s latest to star frequent collaborator Michael B. Jordan. This is both Coogler’s and Jordan’s best film to date, which is saying a lot because both have made good movies. Both have even made great movies together before.

“Sinners” hooks you right from the start and in full disclosure mode, there is a mid credits and a post credits scene you’ll want to stick around for. This is a tale of two locals, Smoke and Stack, played with amazing effect by Michael B. Jordan, who make a surprising return to their hometown of Clarksdale, Mississippi. Their goal is simple: to open up a juke joint and make a lot of money.

Smoke and Stack may be twins but they are extremely different. One is smooth and outgoing, the other is quiet and both are deadly. They are not the kind who fear circumstance or men. They are to be feared and if you’re from their hometown, loved.

So much of the fun for me was this journey. Getting back home, buying an old saw mill, meeting old friends, learning about their story and each scene being filled with surprise, suspense and music.

The anchor of the movie is Sammie, played by a wondrous Miles Caton. Sammie is a gifted blues musician trapped in his small town who longs to move from the world that he’s in to a bigger one where he really test his mettle as a musician and grow. Smoke and Stack gave him a guitar that belonged to a famous musician and they intend for Sammie to play at the Juke Joint tonight.

Along the way they meet up with Delta Slim, Delroy Lindo making a glorious return to film, as harmonica playing, piano playing song slinging wonder who is aged to perfection. Delta Slim may sound happy but he is tempered by the pain life has given him and the only way he can manage that pain, suppress it is through corn liquor and music.

As the juke joint is readied for the opening, old romances are kindled and the guests quickly arrive, there is a slow building both cinematically that unleashed through the music of Swedish Ludwig Gorannson, another frequent collaborator of Coogler’s who also did the music for the “Black Panther” films and “Creed” movies. The music is a character unto itself and is the lifeblood of the movie. Music is the thread that ties all the characters together. It binds them both in the natural world and the supernatural one.

The supernatural elements are best explored on your own. All I will say about that is, it is refreshing when filmmakers are able to convincingly create a world with so many dangers and possibilities. Fantasy elements are hard enough to pull off as it but to include fantasy and horror elements in a historically challenging setting, is even rarer.

As the night goes on we are introduced to a host of other characters, including a lovable bouncer named Cornbread, Mary the vengeful ex of one of the twins played by Hailey Steinfeld,a Chinese couple who own a grocery in town, a married woman named Pearline played by Jayme Lawson who is pure sensuality and Annie, a woman of indisputable beauty and character. Because of these characters, when the horror elements arrive they are so much more impactful.

It’s not like a switch gets thrown and everything goes grisly and visceral. This is not a Jordan Peele movie. But the horror elements work well and after an almost orgasmic night of music, drinking, dancing, laughing and kissing, those same characters have to really fight to survive, with the characters reacting in ways that make sense as you’ve come to know them.

The story of Sammie, Stack, Smoke, Pearline and Mary, Annie is a feast for the eyes as much as the ears. And unlike some films I’ve seen recently, left me thinking about it and talking about it long after it was over.

There are plenty of okay movies you can see right now. But if you want to see something original, something meaningful, something great. See this one. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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