Every now and then a film will come along that will unite all sectors of the movie-going community — the critics, the cinephiles and the general public. Think of “Oppenheimer” for instance- the film is a three-hour historical drama based off of a lengthy biography about a physicist that takes place largely in courtrooms. This is not the kind of film that most would assume would go far but it ended up crossing one billion dollars at the box office as well as winning the award for best picture.
Occasionally there are also films like “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” where a smaller original film creates such a big splash through word of mouth, it ends up becoming a phenomenon. On a budget of 25 million dollars the film made over 100 million and outlasted “Dr. Strange: Multiverse of Madness” which people expected would wipe it out of theaters. Eventually it also won best picture.
What makes Ryan Coogler’s newest film “Sinners” interesting is that it is exactly the intersection between both films. It is shot on the same Imax 70 millimeter cameras and scored by the same composer who won the Academy award for “Oppenheimer,” Ludwig Goransson. However, similar to “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” the film’s original story is incredibly personal and involves a cast and crew that are largely people of color.
If the filmmaker’s name does not ring a bell, he is most known for both “Black Panther” films as well as the first installment in the Creed franchise. Though this is his fifth feature film, it is the first film he has made that is not based on pre-existing characters or a real story.
After his films making hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office, Coogler is cashing in the opportunity to make a film deeply personal to his family and experience. And that is what makes the success of the film so remarkable. It is a quintessentially Black film. It takes place in the Jim Crow south in the 1930’s and is largely a film about freedom, focusing heavily on the blues. However, it doesn’t alienate any of its audiences at all. Because it is also a film about Irish folk-singing vampires.
For those who just want a great time at the movies, “Sinners” is the perfect film. There are machine guns and explosions and classic vampire lore and some incredibly-timed jokes. It just so happens that this film is interlaced with the Black experience, woven in with the arts and thematics surrounding freedom and much more. What is awesome about this film is that it does not cut corners or simplify its commentary in order to make room for the vampire fun, it all works together in harmony.
For a blockbuster film that reportedly cost 90 million dollars to produce, it takes seriously big swings. Swings that are refreshing to see in a film of this size. Swings that are oftentimes discouraged in movies of this size in the fear they may be too artsy or all over the place for audiences.
But the confidence in the way Coogler directs the film is exactly what makes every unique sequence feel so well-earned. Even in its messiest moments of pacing or plot-detailing, one can forgive perhaps being lost in what’s exactly happening with the movie because every moment is just so fun and gripping.
From Michael B. Jordan playing twins Smoke and Stack, to newcomer Miles Caton playing Preacher boy or Sammie, to Wunmi Mosaku as Annie, to Hailee Steinfeld as Mary, there is never a dull moment. Not to mention, the cinematography by Autumn Durald Arkapaw is breathtaking and gorgeous. It invokes films like “The Color Purple” and “Killers of the Flower Moon” in its period design, but also feels incredibly original and something only Ryan Coogler could pull off. The genre-fluid nature of it just works so well. It’s so melodramatic and action-packed and raucous and entertaining that by the time it ends, it will be hard not to walk out the theater with a pep in one’s step.
Verdict: Will “Sinners” be able to out-perform another film in the biggest movie-franchise of all time? Only time will tell. In the meantime, check out “Sinners,” it’s got something for everybody to love. Continue supporting Black voices, both behind and in front of the camera.
