By Seth Lukas Hynes
Sinners
Starring Michael B. Jordan, Miles Caton and Hailee Steinfeld
MA15+
4.5/5
Sinners is a stand-out fusion of horror, action and musical helmed by Black Panther and Creed writer-director Ryan Coogler.
In 1932, African-American twin brothers Smoke and Stack (both played by Michael B. Jordan) start a nightclub in their hometown of Mississippi, but must defend their family from vampires.
Sinners is a mesmerising slow-burn, with the first act immersing us in the twins’ rough but industrious lives and the musical ambitions of their cousin Sammie (played by Miles Caton in a phenomenal once-in-a-generation acting debut).
The film is replete in the energising power of music, especially in the rollicking second act, with human and monster alike revelling in the joy, sexuality and community music brings (and a musical sequence with the pack of vampires brilliantly turns an Irish jig into a chant before battle).
With ravishing costumes and lighting, Sinners looks as great as it sounds: shot on 70 mm film, Sinners’ cinematography has a careful, steady framing and deliberate vision you don’t often get from digital filmmaking these days.
Plus, the doubling effects for Jordan are seamless.
The vampires are scary – savage maulers or eerie lurkers when needed – but still have a note of humanity in their deep bond through song and shared memories.
Sinners takes on a more grindhouse Tarantino-ish feel in the action-heavy climax, but maintains its white-knuckle tension, engrossing dialogue and richly-defined characters until the bloody end.
There is just one epic musical sequence late in the second act that, while dripping with style and passion, may lose some viewers with its time-bending artistic choices.
Sinners is a riveting, beautifully-shot character-driven horror film supercharged with music, and is playing in most Victorian cinemas.
