The vampire film: a horror subgenre that has taken on many interpretations and approaches throughout its history on the silver screen. The latest addition to this subgenre is “Sinners,” the newest film from Ryan Coogler. I saw “Sinners” with my partner, and this is one of the best films of the year.
Set in 1932 Mississippi, “Sinners” follows Smoke and Stack, a pair of twins who recently returned from Chicago and plan on setting up a juke joint in the town. For help setting up the juke joint, the Smokestack Twins recruit their cousin Sammie Moore, a guitarist and the son of a pastor, who is often discouraged by his father, Jedidiah, from playing the blues.
Michael B. Jordan is fantastic as the twins, with the distinct personalities that Jordan gives the characters, resulting in a dual performance that is enthralling to watch.
In an outstanding debut performance as Sammie, Miles Caton’s portrayal of the aspiring blues performer is truly fantastic, with many of the film’s standout moments being because of his debut performance.
While recruiting Delta Slim, a local blues musician played by Delory Lindo, the Smokestack Twins and Sammie encounter Mary, played by Hailee Steinfeld, an ex-girlfriend that Stack has a history with. Steinfeld’s performance as Mary is brilliant, with the combative chemistry between her and Stack leading to moments of pure tension.
Other recruits for the juke joint include Cornbread (played by Omar Benson Miller in an excellent supporting performance), Annie (Wunmi Mosaku), and Grace Chow and her husband Bo (played by Li Jun Li– who had a breakout performance in Damien Chazelle’s 2022 Hollywood period piece “Babylon” as Lady Fay Zhu– and Yao, respectively).
The evening of music soon becomes a nightmare as Remmick (Jack O’Connell), a vampire on a rampage, descends upon the juke joint, resulting in pure chaos and terror.
Ryan Coogler, the writer and director of the film, delivers a unique and original take on the vampire film, delving into themes such as the power of art and music, with one sequence at the very center of this theme. This scene consists of a performance of the track I Lied To You, performed by Miles Caton in a sequence that immerses the viewer in an atmosphere of sound and vision, with hypnotic camerawork done by cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw, that draws the viewer into a trance. This approach to the vampire film — with the utilization and incorporation of musical elements — brings something new and original to the genre, with blues and folk music guiding the viewer as the film progresses. This film is the latest addition to other films that have expanded on the vampire mythos, which includes Kathryn Bigelow’s 1987 film “Near Dark” (which blended the vampire film with the western genre) and Robert Rodriguez’s 1996 film “From Dusk Till Dawn” (blending the crime genre with the vampire film). With “Sinners,” Coogler expands on the themes of not only art and music, but also appropriation, as the representation of this is when Remmick performs the blues standard “Pick Poor Robin Clean” and his control over his victims.
The soundtrack composed by Ludwig Göransson is phenomenal. The music of “Sinners” is a prominent standout of the film, with the inclusion of classic blues standards such as Pick Poor Robin Clean by Geeshie Wiley (best known for her haunting track Last Kind Word Blues), as this track is featured prominently in the film.
With “Sinners,” Ryan Coogler takes the vampire film in a direction never seen before, immersing the viewer in music and stellar performances, along with a premise that brings something new to the vampire mythos.
A new addition to the vampire mythos.
“Sinners” is available for streaming on HBO Max and for purchase on Blu-ray.
