Courtesy of Warner Bros.
With its risk-averse, IP-driven structure, the Hollywood of today most closely resembles the studio system of the 1930s. Directors function as little more than hired guns expected to deliver competently made, yet creatively staid remixes of familiar franchises. As a result, it’s all the more special when true visionaries can materialize in spite of this stifling system.
Through “Sinners,” filmmaker Ryan Coogler asserts himself as one of those visionaries. The vampire horror film follows twin brothers Smoke and Stack (both played by Michael B. Jordan) who return home to 1932 Mississippi to establish a juke joint. The brothers, surrounded by a fantastic ensemble (including Miles Caton, Hailee Steinfeld and Delroy Lindo), are forced to confront the supernatural evil threatening their lives.
“Sinners” launches Coogler into an exalted group of filmmakers working to transform the current dominant ‘30s Hollywood structure into a more auteur-friendly, creatively-driven ‘60s Hollywood. What makes Coogler’s contemporaries so successful — the likes of Christopher Nolan, Greta Gerwig and Denis Villeneuve — is their unique ability to engineer satisfying commercial movies that fulfill genre requirements without sacrificing artistry or thematic depth. This is what Coogler did with “Creed” and the “Black Panther” films, and what he accomplishes even further with “Sinners.”
On a superficial level, “Sinners” delivers on the multitude of responsibilities attached to the long lineage of vampire movies. All the trappings are here — a grimy, sexually-charged tone, complete with wooden stakes, garlic, allergies to sunlight, et cetera — but Coogler employs them in a way that avoids feeling trite. Comparisons to similar vampire flicks such as “From Dusk Till Dawn” are apt. Just like the 1996 Robert Rodriguez classic, “Sinners” is structurally bifurcated. It takes its time to establish characters and stakes before genre elements take over (and absolutely shred). The tension is razor sharp, action well-choreographed and scares effective.
Unlike “From Dusk Till Dawn,” “Sinners” features an additional layer of meaning. About halfway through the film, there’s an astounding sequence in which the thematic underpinnings of “Sinners” are literalized and depicted in an unexpected way. The entire history of music — from African tribal chants to modern hip-hop — is captured in a stunning single take shot. It’s an extremely ambitious, jaw-dropping swing from Coogler that marries intelligent commentary with unparalleled technical achievement. Coogler weaves a layered tapestry of Southern music, culture and spirituality that’s just as intellectually and emotionally affecting as the genre execution is thrilling. It’s bravura filmmaking at its finest.
That said, criticism can be levied against the specific calibration of Coogler’s thematic storytelling and to what extent, if any, it gets short-changed in service of horror genre conventions. Similarly imperfect is the cinematography. Director of Photography Autumn Durald Arkapaw’s IMAX work is mostly gorgeous, but its shallow depth of field frequently blurs the background and takes away from Hannah Beachler’s excellent production design. Otherwise, the lighting, camera movement (the movie includes several incredible “oners”) and composition are all top-notch, as is Ruth E. Carter’s detailed costume design.
Likewise impressive is Coogler’s ability to bring out the best in his performers. Jordan delivers a career-best performance, using his physicality to differentiate between identical twins Smoke and Stack. Caton is terrific as Sammie, as are Li Jun Li, Omar Benson Miller, Wunmi Mosaku and Jayme Lawson in their roles. Lindo brings much-needed levity, and Jack O’Connell somehow makes the vampires sympathetic, even in their attempt to feast on our heroes.
The standout, however, is Steinfeld in easily her best role since her Oscar-nominated performance in “True Grit.” Steinfeld’s commitment sells some of the most challenging (and risqué) material in Coogler’s script. The ways in which her real-life one-eighth African-American ancestry are baked into the screenplay complicate and strengthen the film’s commentary about assimilation and community.
There’s a strong case to be made, however, that the most important aspect of “Sinners” is Ludwig Göransson’s score. The Swedish composer has already established himself as one of the greats with his work on “Black Panther,” “The Mandalorian” and “Oppenheimer.” “Sinners” cements him. Not only does his score contextualize the blues within the historical continuum of African and African-American music, but it draws connections to other oppression-borne genres of music like Irish folk. It’s dissertation-worthy work that not only enhances the film but serves as the key to its very construction.
“Sinners” is proof that investing in the creative visions of auteurs like Coogler does work. It’s a clear case for the ‘60s Hollywood system over ‘30s Hollywood — the same lesson Nolan gave with “Oppenheimer,” Gerwig gave with “Barbie” and Villeneuve gave with “Dune.” Hopefully someday Hollywood will actually listen.
9/10
