The action-centric marketing surrounding the film might lead one to believe that “Sinners” is a straightforward vampire flick. However, as it turns out, the vampires are the dessert to the main course that is a nuanced commentary on classism, culture, race relations in the 1930s American South, and the power of music.
Directed by Ryan Coogler of “Black Panther” and “Creed” fame, “Sinners” stars Michael B. Jordan in dual roles as the twins Elijah “Smoke” and Elias “Stack” Moore, gangsters returning from Chicago to their hometown in Mississippi to start a juke joint for the local black community. In the process, they recruit old friends and family to help with opening night, including their cousin Sammie (Miles Caton), Stack’s ex-girlfriend Mary (Hailey Steinfield), Smoke’s wife Annie (Wunmi Mosaku), and shop owners Bo and Grace Chow (Thomas “Yao” Pang and Li Jun Li). Opening night goes well until a vampire (Jack O’Connell) and his cronies show up, plunging the night into chaos as the protagonists are forced to brave the darkness in the hope of surviving to see the dawn.
“Sinners” heavily emphasizes the relation between music and culture, and the consequences of cultural assimilation (a metaphor made manifest by the presence of vampires); a concept all too relevant to its historical setting. Ludwig Göransson, the film’s composer, delivers an immersive blues guitar soundtrack befitting of the time period and cultural demographic that the story revolves around. As the film progresses and the tone of the plot shifts, the soundtrack bends genres in turn, incorporating more modern sounds.
The first half of “Sinners”, rather than rushing to get to the action, does a superb job at establishing its characters, giving the audience plenty of time to understand and grow attached to the characters. The Moore twins navigate their old hometown, reconnecting with friends, family, old flames, and business partners, as well as the uneasy presence of the allegedly disbanded Ku Klux Klan.
Come the halfway point of the film, “Sinners” decides to remind the audience that it’s a horror film with the introduction of the vampires. Jack O’Connell plays Remmick, a vampiric Irishman intent on converting the community into vampires. O’Connell’s chilling performance delivers a unique take on the familiar archetype of the charmingly sinister vampire, effortlessly stealing the spotlight in each of his scenes. Remmick has the potential to be remembered as one of the most entertaining vampires in the horror genre.
Michael B. Jordan’s acting range is on full display in the film in his dual performance as the twins. As if to show off how convincingly he plays the roles as separate people, the sole difference in the twins’ appearance is their costumes, Smoke wearing blue, and stack wearing red.
“Sinners” is Miles Caton’s first major film role, having come primarily from a singing career, his only previous acting experience being short films. This makes his performance in “Sinners” as protagonist Sammie, convincingly playing the part of a naive but gifted musician with ambitions to make something of himself.
All in all, “Sinners” is a refreshing new face in the horror industry, subverting the expected pacing and character depth one has going into what’s marketed as a vampire film. It’s filled with compelling performances from its diverse cast despite their varying levels of acting experience, it presents a unique social commentary, and shows that even the most classic horror tropes can be thrilling when executed well. You don’t need to be a horror fan to enjoy “Sinners”.
