April Movies Part 2: Sinners

It feels like the only movie out right now that everyone is talking about is Sinners, so let's get into it!

Written and directed by Ryan Coogler, this movie in set in 1932 and stars Michael B. Jordan in dual roles as twin brothers nicknamed Stack and Smoke, aka the Smokestack twins. The twins have returned to their hometown of Clarksdale, Mississippi after spending some time in Chicago, presumably doing nefarious things with gangsters. They are a bit of a mystery, and they have a reputation for being bad boys in this town. They also have some romantic entanglements with women played by Hailee Steinfeld and Wunmi Mosaku to deal with over the course of the film. But most importantly, the twins have arrived with a ton of cash and buy up the old sawmill, looking to turn it into a juke joint so the Black folk have some place to unwind every weekend after a long week's toil in the plantations of the Jim Crow South. 

Their cousin, Sammy (Miles Caton, in a debut role that will certainly not be his last), is the son of a preacher, but the twins gave him a guitar before they left town, and he is now an aspiring musician. So, the twins pick up Sammy, against his father's wishes, and recruit him to play the blues in their fine establishment. They also hire a number of other former associates to help with music, food, liquor, and security. It's a lot of work, but everything in this movie takes place over the course of one day, which is rather startling when you sit back to consider what happens over the course of those 24 hours.

If you've heard anything at all about this movie, or seen the trailer, you're aware it's technically a horror film and involves vampires. If you're really into that genre (like my husband), this movie will be an absolute dream for you. If you're mid on vampires, perhaps tread with caution? But again, with this cast and Coogler at the helm, even people who don't care for horror will be pleasantly entertained. The vampires are like some additional seasoning on an already delicious meal.

When the end credits rolled, I was a little surprised to see that the composer, Ludwig Goransson, was listed as an Executive Producer. But then I realized it made complete sense. Visually, this movie is the complete package, with impeccable production design by Hannah Bleacher, sumptuous costumes by the incomparable Ruth E. Carter (I wanted every dress I saw in this film, particularly an astonishingly slinky one worn by Hailee Steinfeld), and gorgeous cinematography by Autumn Durald Arkapow. But the most unsettling and unique aspect of this film is its score, a weird and often discordant jumble of genres that leads up to this film's supernatural reveal. It would be spoiling too much to discuss further but just pay attention to that score when you go see this movie.

Sinners is a bold, weird, innovative, original movie amidst a sea of adaptations and sequels. "Weird" really is the word that kept coming to me when trying to describe it, and I can't say that this was my absolute favorite movie of the year. But did I have a whale of a time watching two Michael B. Jordans running around attacking vampires? Of course, I did.