Sinners Review: Ryan Coogler Incorporates the Dark Side of Blues Music and Vampire Lore in His Ambitious First Foray into the Horror Genre

Warner Bros. is betting big on Ryan Coogler’s Sinners. The movie reportedly cost around US$90-100 million, and it has nothing to do with an established IP but rather with an original screenplay by Coogler himself. And it’s an adult-skewed horror genre, an even bigger risk, which potentially limits the demographics.

But history has it that big-budget horror movies can translate into financial successes, evidently in I am Legend, along with World War Z and of course, the studio’s very own two-part It saga. Whether Sinners can emerge as a box-office champ remains to be seen, but after spending nearly 140 minutes, there’s no doubt that Coogler’s latest movie is a testament to his love for the cinema and, more importantly, the aforementioned genre itself.

Shot exquisitely on Ultra Panavision 70 and IMAX cameras, marking the first time both large film formats are combined, there’s an immediate sense of immersion within Autumn Durald Arkapaw’s deeply atmospheric cinematography right from the opening frame. Sinners takes place during the 1932 Jim Crow era, beginning with a brief prologue that makes you wonder what happens to the young man named Sammie Moore (Miles Caton) before the movie flashes back a day earlier where we are introduced to twin brothers Smoke and Stack, a.k.a. Smokestack played by Michael B. Jordan.

The special effects are seamless in depicting Jordan as identical twins, but what truly works lies in his dual performance. I’m not talking just about how they are distinguished by Smoke’s ocean blue flat cap and Stack’s dark crimson hat. But also the way Jordan performs his identical twin characters with distinct personalities — Smoke’s cool and wary, while Stack’s brash and colourful roles. Both of them are sharply dressed, and they are back here in their hometown of Clarksdale, Mississippi Delta, for a fresh start.

We learn that these twin brothers used to work for Al Capone in Chicago for years. Despite returning to Clarksdale, they are not looking to settle down for a simpler and laid-back life, but with a plan to make more money out of the townsfolk by opening up a juke joint. They even managed to score a good deal after buying the abandoned mill from a white owner. Everything seems to be working well as planned. They already have plenty of quality liquors and beers smuggled from Chicago stored in their truck.

All they need for the rest is musicians to help enliven their soon-to-be-opened juke joint. This includes enlisting their young cousin, Sammie, who turns out to be a talented blues singer and guitarist and later, the veteran blues pianist Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo). They also hire the Chows — Bo (Yao) and Grace (Li Jun Li) — both Chinese-American owners who operate two shops across from each other to help them with the sign, and finally, Cornbread (Omar Benson Miller) to become their juke joint’s bouncer at the front door.

Coogler takes his time telling his story by introducing each of these characters from the Smokestack’s plan to reuniting with some of the folks they know back in the day, before leaving for Chicago. The movie also addresses the Smokestack’s respective love interests, including Smoke’s on-and-off girlfriend Annie (Wunmi Mosaku) and Stack’s mixed-parentage married white woman, Mary (Hailee Steinfeld), where the latter still has feelings for him.

Those with short attention spans might find Sinners too slow for a horror movie since Coogler spends nearly the first half dedicated to making a period character-driven drama. While I have to admit the pace can be sluggish in some parts, Coogler’s slow-burn approach manages to reap rewards if you are patient enough to go along with the ride.

Interestingly, the movie touches a lot on blues music and how this particular genre, which is also commonly associated with the “Devil’s music” in the olden days due to its bleak themes of affliction, severity and carnality, plays a big part in Sinners. It isn’t just the raw energy that Sammie pours his heart into, showcasing his talent as a blues singer while strumming his guitar. But the way blues music correlates with the sins of everyone here, and this extends to the supernatural side. The latter is where the horror starts to pop off the cap of the drama-heavy first half.

As the day turns into night and the Smokestack invites everyone for the grand opening of their juke joint, it’s all reckless fun of singing, dancing and lusting like there’s no tomorrow. The subsequent introduction of the vampires led by Remmick (Jack O’Connell in a genuinely creepy supporting role), who have already infected a few people, are obsessed with the blues music and the folks having the time of their lives in the juke joint. Coogler wastes no time in spreading out his influences in the horror parts, from paying homages to John Carpenter’s Assault on Precinct 13 to Tom Holland’s Fright Night and particularly, Robert Rodriguez’s From Dusk Till Dawn, but minus the dark-comedy energy.

The Remmick-led vampires are vicious, manipulative and will strike whenever the opportunity arises. These antagonists are more than just your garden-variety antagonists, as they serve as cruel metaphors of discriminating white people against the Black community during the racially segregated Jim Crow laws. Coogler incorporates practical and special effects for the extreme gore and violence — all enhanced with IMAX visuals, hard-hitting sound design and Ludwig Göransson’s hauntingly propulsive score. Watching this on IMAX is a cinematic treat as Coogler’s free-flow visual depiction of the movie’s eventual bloodbath soars to a feverish height.

Whereas Jordan excels in his dual role, the rest of the supporting cast is equally top-notch, including singer Miles Caton in his standout acting debut as Sammie Moore, whose aspiring blues-music ambition leads to the path of darkness. Hailee Steinfeld delivers a fetching supporting turn as the lovesick Mary while Wunmi Mosaku has her few scene-stealing moments as Annie, who is knowledgeable in all things supernatural, including vampirism.