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By Lauren Bradshaw
Lauren’s Review

From the trailer, I thought I was going to like Ryan Coogler’s latest film SINNERS, but I had no idea just how much I was going to love it. Calling this a “vampire film”, while accurate, is almost a disservice because this movie is so much more; and that is coming from someone who loves the vampire genre. Part social commentary, part horror, SINNERS is at its best when it is bloody and bluesy… and did I mention it’s super sexy too? I love CREED, BLACK PANTHER, and FRUITVALE STATION, but SINNERS is Coogler’s best film yet. He expertly blends gorgeous cinematography with a killer soundtrack/score and some downright scary scenes that are still haunting me.

Set in 1932 Mississippi, the film opens on Sammie (Miles Caton) walking down the aisle of his father’s church service covered in blood. He has large gashes on his face and is holding the broken neck of his steel guitar while his father is imploring him to repent. Cut to the previous day. Twins, Smoke and Stack (Michael B. Jordan), have returned to their hometown after spending years working for the Capone gang in Chicago. Everyone in the town is scared to cross the twins, and they leverage this reputation to get all of the necessary accoutrements for the grand opening of their bluesy juke bar. The bar opens to a rowdy crowd, complete with live music and the Stacks’ romantic interests Annie (Wunmi Mosaku) and Mary (Hailee Steinfeld). But of course, nothing can stay peaceful for long… but instead of worrying about bar fights, the twins and their crew quickly realize they are under threat from a trio of redneck vampires, who are hungry for blood and new recruits. Now the Stack crew needs to find a way to survive until sunrise, and resist the siren song from the vampires outside.

SINNERS is an ensemble film and it’s amazing what Coogler is able to do by making you feel invested in so many different characters in such a little span of time. I almost think the film could have been a miniseries because I would have loved to see even more with each of them. Every actor, from Michael B. Jordan to the minor supporting characters, feel fully fleshed out. I was rooting for them all to make it out alive… and while I’m not proud of this, that says a lot because I typically side with the vampires. This is not a film you should go to if you’re looking for a nice, relaxing time. You quickly lose confidence that anyone is safe from harm, and by the end of the film it’s unclear who will make it out alive. I was especially enamored by Wunmi Mosaku and Jordan’s incredible chemistry; their romance is the emotional center of the film and I loved every scene where they were together.

I love horror movies and because of that, I admittedly don’t get scared often… especially when it comes to vampire movies. But I am not ashamed to say that SINNERS freaked me out. Like other films in the horror genre, Coogler’s script has a message, showing the haunting effects of generational trauma, which can suck away your soul like a vampire. And like ageless vampires, America’s history of racism and prejudice has a way of lurking in the shadows, rearing its ugly head at the darkest moments. Sinners drops you in the heart of the Jim Crow south and the specter of a vampire, who rises after the sun goes down, is an interesting metaphor for sundown towns, or segregated towns that forbade Black people from living or being present after sunset. These are the themes that are continuing to stick with me after seeing the film; I imagine I will notice more with every rewatch.

I cannot imagine, nor do I suggest, seeing SINNERS for the first time at home. It deserves to be seen in theaters, particularly in IMAX, not only because it should be experienced with a crowd but more so because the sound design is that good. I also love that Coogler has used female cinematographers to shoot all of his films; it shows. Watching the movie feels like an event, a love letter to the big screen and the cinematic experience. But make sure you stay until the end because there is an end credit scene that is one of my favorite postscripts and is extremely important to fully understanding the point of the film. Avengers eating shawarma this is not.

My Review: A

LAUREN BRADSHAW grew up in Courtland, graduated from Southampton Academy and double-majored in foreign affairs and history at the University of Virginia. She lives in the Washington, D.C., area and can be reached at flickchickdc@gmail.com.