REVIEW:
One of the coolest movies in ages, Sinners is a period piece story about gangsters turned club owners who find themselves smack in the middle of a vampire film. Like From Dusk Till Dawn, the first half of this movie has nothing to do with vampires and is instead all about setting up the characters, themes, and missions. And the truth is, that is more than enough. We meet these two twin brothers, Smoke and Stack, (each one wears a different colored hat, which is surprisingly more effective for helping us tell them apart, than one might imagine.) These two are both played by Michael B Jordan in a movie directed by his longtime collaborator partner Ryan Coogler.
The two of these guys, Coogler and Jordan, have worked together since their breakout film Fruitvale Station. After that they made Creed and then Black Panther together. This is the first movie that Coogler has made which is not based on anything pre-existing, (not based on a true story or an already existing IP or series.) Instead, Sinners is based on a completely original concept (although, again, it does bare quite a few similarities to From Dusk Till Dawn.) For Coogler, it is by far his best movie to date. Everything on screen here is interesting. The characters are so compelling, in fact, that we want to know more about them than we ever get to learn.
For example, these two brothers used to work up north for Al Capone. In what capacity, we don’t know. What is hinted at, is that they played two mafia families against each other, (an Italian one and an Irish one,) and that’s why they have Italian wine and Irish beer at their establishment, having stolen from both families. This kind of back story, and the fact that we are interested enough to theorize about it, gives you a hint at how compelling the movie is.
The first half is all about these two characters splitting up to each go on a different path around town, looking for recruits to work at their “juke joint,” which is opening up that very night. And that’s enough of a story on its own, putting us right into the shoes of the characters… you just bought a club, it’s opening night is tonight, and you have one day to find all of the talent and workers who will make this club a success.
We spend that day alternating between each of the two brothers who have split up, in order to divide and conquer. Smoke goes into the main part of town where he approaches a shop owner and his wife, all while fending off some locals who try to rob his parked car. Stack goes to the train station where he recruits the musical performers who will serve as the club’s entertainment. The recruitment process involves some arm-twisting and clever manipulation, and watching all of the angles these two characters work on the locals turns out to be a lot of fun.
The dialogue and way characters speak here is endlessly fascinating. It really does feel like we are getting a slice of both history and culture here, and the actors go all in on committing to their performances. Delroy Lindo, in particular, gives another stellar performance after his great villainous role in the Spike Lee flick, Da Five Bloods, some years ago. But truthfully every character and actor here brings something to the table, showing off a distinct personality and backstory.
And then we get the vampire story. Waiting until halfway into the movie turns out to be a very smart move. We are completely committed to the characters and their story at that point. We care about them and are curious about how the club will do. We have literally spent the day watching the hiring of each character who will be working there, and now instead of watching if they can run the club successfully and bring in lots of business, we are watching to see if they can actually survive the night.
The vampire story is just as good as everything that came before it. That’s pretty amazing when you think about it. A movie where the second half is completely different from the first, and yet both feel equally important and interesting. This movie is smart and thrilling the whole way through. The music is fantastic, and the scares are powerful. I love the way the movie takes a very real approach to history and culture in the south, during this Jim Crow time, and yet isn’t afraid to then dive into vampire lore. We’re talking about all the staples of the genre, from sunlight to wooden stakes to holy water. There’s even a lot made about the idea that vampires can’t just enter your house without being invited.
The final climax of the film, involving a new group of enemies who just sort of show up, seems a little bit tacked on, and it might be the only part of this movie thats not great. With that in mind, another way to look at it is this ending is giving us one last thrill of excitement, that we weren’t expecting. It might feel a little forced, but it also works, giving us a final burst of action at just the right time. This is a pretty terrific movie. The whole thing is told in one day and one night, and it’s as much about setup as it is about execution. The melding of different genres might seem like a difficult feat, but they pull it off seamlessly here.
Additional Notes:
There is no doubt that this movie used From Dusk Till Dawn as a reference and then expanded on that. It made a version of that movie set in the segregated south, featuring a black cast. And it turned out brilliantly. But there are more references to that Tarantino-written movie than one might realize. You see, both movies are about two brothers who are criminals. And in both movies, the inciting incident that announces the vampires is one of the two brothers getting bitten. In other words, at no time do we ever see the brothers fight the vampires together or even talk about the vampires together in either movie. Instead, it’s kind of a loyalty to the dead brother that drives the still living brother to fight so hard against the vampires.