Believe the Hype!

Not JUST a vampire Movie

So I haven’t done a true straight-up movie review in a while and truth be told, it’s because I haven’t been truly moved by a film in a while. I’ve held expectations and had them dashed without exception for most of this year’s offerings. I saw the trailer for this film months earlier when I excitedly sat for Wolf Man only to leave the cinema deflated after the movie dismantled every expectation I had for it. The Sinners trailer however gave me hope, cautious hope. The trailer excited and tantalized and teased and I prayed to the Movie Gods to not let the trailer be the most interesting thing about the film. I finally saw the movie last night and my prayers were answered… This movie has been hyped to within an inch of its life and all I can say is BELIEVE THE HYPE!

Ryan Coogler’s Sinners is a masterclass in how filmmaking and storytelling should work together. I know he proved his prowess with the Black Panther and Creed series but honestly I didn’t watch any of them (don’t judge me!). Those movies already had the legacy of Marvel and Rocky behind them and neither of those parent franchises/legacies held my interest. This movie was an original stand alone story that spoke to me directly because it employed many of the things that I already love: the American Blues, the time period (Black American culture of the 30’s) and Vampires… I mean a girl couldn’t ask for more, but then Coogler added not one but TWO Michael B. Jordan’s and Wunmi Mosaku and Delroy Lindo… Well SHIT, go’on then!!

When I tell you that this ensemble was one of the tightest I’ve seen in some time, I am not blowing wind up your skirt. Every single character was pivotal, instrumental and essential to the storytelling. Not one character was wasted and these actors embraced each role with the vim and vigor and passion you want an actor to every time you sit down to spend hours of your life with them. Nobody on that cast called it in and DAMNIT you could feel it emanating off the screen. These characters were flawed and messy and human and sitting in the cinema, you felt all of their anguish and hope and fear and fight. You rooted for them and Coogler knew you would right up to the closing end-credits!

I have to speak directly on Michael B. Jordan’s portrayals of the twin Moore brothers. Michael is an amazing actor and has abilities that I am certain he has still to tap into. These characters though, showcased his range and ability to inhibit and BECOME a character. Many times, a single actor has played twins and it is the change of clothes that really drives home the character. Other actors I’ve seen, would make one twin so completely different to the other that it can come off as caricaturish and derivative. Jordan’s choices and subtleties as he played one brother and then the other was so believable that even without the colour-coded wardrobe, you could distinguish one from the other. His portrayals weren’t over the top, or extremist, they were simply BELIEVABLE! He wore the skins of Smoke and Stack with equal measures of validity and resonance. Honestly, I’ve never been more in awe of him as an actor than I was when I left the cinema yesterday.

I know this film is categorized as a horror chiefly because it is a vampire movie but do not be fooled. Much like Jordan Peele, Coogler tapped into a more insidious fear faced by black people, that of freedom and choice and identity. These themes are woven throughout the movie as the main characters all grapple with elements of this while trying to stave off vampires, who provided a more immediate threat than the ever present KKK, of the time. Much like Coppola’s definitive vampire movie, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Coogler is able to bridge the divide between horror and drama seamlessly. This film is so beautifully layered that you become so immersed in the storytelling, that the vampires and other horror elements become secondary to everything that is being said about destiny, fate, family, brotherhood and legacy.

When I say that this movie over delivered on my expectations, I am including the spectacle of it. The cinematography was superlative. In my reviews, I do my utmost not to include any spoilers, so I won’t here, but there is one particular scene in the “Juke” when rising talent Miles Caton playing Preacher Boy Sammie plays and the imagery and visuals were GOBSMACKINGLY GAG-WORTHY! The way that Cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw worked with Coogler to manifest these images is nothing short of brilliant! Throughout the film, the visuals and lighting provoked such visceral reactions from the audience that you indeed felt a part of the story.

While the visuals played a significant role in the crafting of this story, the music and the soundtrack was another main character. The music was transportative and you couldn’t help but tap your foot and move your head when it played. It was rousing and spirited and life-affirming. A rhythmic reminder of why the “American Blues” was so important to the music industry. Swedish Composer Ludwig Göransson was able to tap into the ancestors and his music pulled them into this film. You felt a communion with them sitting in the audience and I am not shitting you when I tell you it was like going to church… their spirit was palpable when the music filled the cinema.

Sinners is a masterpiece and stands shoulder to shoulder with Bram Stoker’s Dracula as THE BEST VAMPIRE MOVIE EVER! It is not lost on me that both of these movies used vampires as a mere vehicle to tell a more nuanced and HUMANE story and that is particularly why they resonate and why they are so much more than simply a “HORROR” movie. There is absolutely NOTHING simple about this movie! Sinners should be experienced first on the big screen before making it a permanent and prominent member of your movie library. Undoubtedly masterful and one that will linger with you long after you end credits!