Sinners: A Review

BY COREY MILLER

Sinners

Let me start by saying this, “Sinners” is not a movie about vampires. It is a movie about the blues. The blues is a genre of American music created by slaves and black Americans in the 19th century. “Sinners” is written and directed by Ryan Coogler. Coogler is known for directing movies like “Creed” and “Black Panther,” but “Sinners” is his brain child. With the main dynamic of the film being between the humans and the vampires, an underlying theme of the blues versus Irish music is portrayed. On top of these clever themes is brilliant acting by Michael B. Jordan who plays two characters in the film, identical twin brothers Smoke and Stack Moore. The Smoke-Stack twins, as they are known by, have just returned to their home of Mississippi from Chicago where they’ve spent the last several years working for Italian and Irish mobsters. Though Jordan plays the roles of two identical brothers, the contrast in their personalities is an astonishing performance and well worthy of an Oscar Nomination.

While Jordan is the lead actor in the film, the character that symbolizes African American culture is Sammie Moore, the twins’s younger cousin, played by Miles Caton. On the opposite side, Remmick, played by Jack O’Connell, is the leader of the vampires and symbolizes the more dominant and popular Irish folk music. To heighten the tension between the two genres, Coogler gives the audience two big musical numbers. One scene with Sammie Moore singing the blues, and another scene with Remmick singing Irish folk music while dancing with the people he turned into vampires. The best decision Coogler made to give the film its originality was the scene where Sammie sings the blues. It isn’t just the singing, but the fact that the scene captures the African American music culture through time and is done beautifully. It not only shows how much the culture has evolved, but also shows how impactful music has been on the African American race for generations.

The humans versus vampires dilemma was not only scary, but contained some hints of comedic relief as well. With the year being 1932 and the location being the deep south, the idea of segregation and Jim Crow plays right into the theme of a more dominant white culture trying to keep down African American culture. The rules of being a vampire worked well given the focal point for the majority of the movie is a barn that the twins purchased upon their return from Chicago for the purpose of opening a “juke joint,” a place for the local black people to enjoy alcohol, gambling, and the music of their culture with the primary goal of making a nice profit. This barn feels like a sanctuary for the locals on the night of the grand opening. As it turns out, a rule for vampires is they cannot enter a private home or residence without being invited. This adds suspense to the movie as the vampires - both before and after they are discovered to be vampires - continually try to get invited into the barn. It isn't until Mary, Stack’s old love, who is white, engages the 3 vampires outside, thinking they are ordinary people, possibly with malicious motives, trying to get into the “juke joint,” gets bitten and returns as a vampire unbeknownst to the rest.

What makes the vampires so comical is that they believe what they are doing by biting people and turning them into vampires is the righteous thing to do. Giving them eternal life and freedom from the rules of society. The argument pits the freedom of immortality where all are equal in death v. the unfair and severely imbalanced society black people endure. They associate biting someone with “saving their soul.” Therefore, when such violent actions take place, the vampires would play it off as if it's normal. Along with the horror, comedy, and music that comes with the film, Coogler is able to infuse romance into the story. Not only unique, but also well executed relationships are built or revisited. Relationships like Smoke and his wife Annie’s, or like Stack and Mary’s add even more suspense to the film because it gives the audience the thoughts of a happy ending. Especially a happy ending between Smoke and Annie, which Coogler ended up giving in a different way to the viewer.

Coogler’s choice of having everyone in the barn die except for Sammie was one of the best choices he could’ve made given that it amplifies the symbol that Sammie projected. In the final barn scene, Sammie hits Remmick with his guitar, showing a direct battle between not only races, but between the blues and Irish folk music. Finally, Coogler’s choice to have vampires Mary and Stack escape and re-visit Sammie as an old man 60 years later, playing the blues in Chicago, was brilliant. This scene tells the audience that now, as a vampire, Stack had his best moments that night, since it was the last time he saw his brother and how he honored the promise he made to his brother to let Sammie live. We also learn that Sammie also views that night as the best time of his life - the night he played the blues for the first time. Through horror, music, romance and comedy, Coogler created a concoction of emotions throughout the film that led to a brilliant and satisfying ending with someone alive, a lot of people dead, and two vampires in love.