Film: Sinners

 

GENRE: Period Vampire Drama
RATING: R for bloody violence, sexual content and language
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 17 minutes
PLATFORM: Movie Theatre
STARRING: Michael B Jordan (Creed, Black Panther, Fruitvale Station)
Miles Caton (newcomer); Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit, Bumblebee, Hawkeye)
DIRECTOR: Ryan Coogler (Creed, Wakanda Forever, Fruitvale Station)
WRITER: Ryan Coogler (Black Panther, Fruitvale Station, Creed)
PLOT: Twin brothers return home to start a Juke Club but end up awakening an evil force. 

FULL DISCLOSURE: The 98% on Rotten Tomatoes convinced me.

STORY STUFF: This is not your typical vampire flick. The time period, racial tension and musical aspects set it apart from a lot of other films. Although, I did think of From Dusk to Dawn when watching. I liked the premise of the story and following these brothers as they try to start their life again. I was little surprised at the sensuality which strayed away from typical horror sex before getting killed by a boogeyman. The pacing works well and I often like the one crazy night trope in films. There were a couple of endings but not as bad as LOTR. The post-credit sequence was interesting but also visually fun with the outfits.  

ACTING STUFF: Coogler always get the best out of Jordan. While dual roles are sometimes campy, this film makes it work. I was thankful that their red and blue outfits set them apart easily for me. Jordan is always captivating but the rest of the cast is also bringing their A game. I enjoyed Delroy Lindo (Gone in 60 Seconds) and his contributions to this film.

ARTISTIC STUFF: The cinematography is top notch and so are the costumes. What sticks out the most are the songs that are played in the car and at the club. There’s a great stomping song. There is also one scene that I enjoyed that breaks some film norms but I have a feeling it will take others out of the film entirely for a few minutes. I’m not a huge blues fan but it was still enjoyable to listen to.      

VERDICT: Four and a half stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You like vampires set in the great Depression south with music.
UPCOMING REVIEW: Thunderbolts*