From humble indie beginnings way back in 2013, Ryan Coogler (“Black Panther,” “Creed”) has absolutely made a name for himself in the realm of modern filmmaking. From bringing the Rocky franchise back to glory to making global household names of T’Challa and Chadwick Boseman, he’s made quite the impact in just over a decade of filmmaking. Now his latest film, which reteams him with his longtime collaborator Michael B. Jordan (“Black Panther,” “Creed”), has him working within the horror genre, making a period piece, shooting it with IMAX film cameras, and writing his own original tale for the first time in his career. A tale of “Sinners.”
Set in Mississippi in the 1930s, the film follows the identical “Smokestack” twins Elijah “Smoke” Moore and Elias “Stack” Mo0ore, both played by Jordan, as they return to their hometown to open their own juke joint bar with the help of their musician cousin Sammie, played by Miles Caton in his film debut, Smoke’s estranged wife Annie, played by Wunmi Mosaku (“Lovecraft Country,” “His House”), piano player Delta Slim, played by Delory Lindo (“Malcom X,” “Da 5 Bloods”), singer Pearline, played by Jayme Lawson (“Till,” “How to Blow Up a Pipeline”), local general store owners Grace and Bo Chow, played by Li Jun Li (“Wu Assassins,” “Babylon”), and Yao (“The Last Bout,” “#LookAtMe”) respectively, Elijah and Elias’s surrogate sister Mary, played by Hailee Steinfeld (“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” “True Grit (2010)”), and Cornbread, played by Omar Benson Miller (“Ballers,” “Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”) as bodyguard. Soon after opening though, they find themselves targeted by Remmick, played by Jack O'Connell (“Skins,” “Godless”), a sinister figure seeking their community for his own twisted desires.
Jordan leads an exceptional ensemble with a pair of fascinating layered and different performances. It’s incredible to watch him act against himself, not only for how naturally he comes across, but also for the nuances and differences he’s able to imbue in these characters. For how different they are, he makes sure to emphasize their similarities to help breathe life into them. Caton is the star of the show though. In his first film role, he’s proven himself to be just as strong of a performer as the legacy actors he shares space with here. Sammie’s tale is a heartbreaking one, and he imbues him with anger and joy, a musicality of his soul that makes him light the screen up with virtually everything he does. Each and every member of the film’s cast are exceptional, from the main roles down to those who only appear for a handful of scenes. It’s virtually impossible to make a clear distinction, as Coogler manages to give each person their little moment to shine, and shine they do.
Jun Li, Steinfeld, and Mosaku each get fantastic moments that showcases the history of their town through their simple character interactions. Mosaku is a powerhouse of stern wisdom, and Jun Li is a lively force of charm and snark. Steinfeld feels like the character with the most unsaid about her, and she brings this to bear with a performance that feels exceptionally rich as a result. Most importantly, each of the women in “Sinners” feels particular fleshed out, regardless of their screentime, a welcome change from most other major studio blockbusters. Meanwhile, O’Connell is a fascinating and frighteningly vicious antagonist. His performance as Remmick is one that entrances as well as unnerves in virtually every interaction he has on screen.
Arguably as much of a muse as Jordan is for Coogler, composer Ludwig Göransson (“Black Panther,” “Oppenheimer”), who’s worked on all of Coogler’s previous films, pulls out all the stops for arguably his most unique and phenomenal score yet. Music is one of this film’s central building blocks, and the score mixes perfectly with Coogler’s scenic work to build numerous moments to a surrealist crescendo. The editing by Michael P. Shawver (“Fruitvale Station,” “Black Panther”) is also particularly excellent, as numerous different characters and plot threads are woven together clearly, but with panache and tension throughout.
The work from cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw (“The Last Showgirl,” “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”) is nothing short of phenomenal. Numerous moments crackle and burn with her camerawork, and as the film’s tension builds, the film’s scope narrows from gorgeous wide-open vistas to claustrophobic interior shots. Her work here with Coogler is the sort of cinematography that manages to both excel in its visual beauty and also work on the film’s numerous different subtextual levels as well. It’s just a truly truly gorgeous looking film.
Separate from its excellent pacing, visuals, and music, is the bones of this tale that Coogler has constructed so fantastically to craft a film that works as a cerebral, surrealist expressionistic piece without every sacrificing a moment of genuine fun and entertainment. It flies by and could easily be split down the middle into two equally compelling different films. Coogler not only combines the film’s genre elements with its dramatic ones, but embraces them, leaning hard into the deeper themes that make this a film that you can easily parse through for hours after watching it. Yet his skill at making films also means that even if you don’t wish to discuss it, you’ll still have an absolute blast from start to finish. Case in point, for those seeing it in IMAX, the format’s taller image means that the times when it is used are impactful as they juxtapose the rest of the film’s ultra-wide 2.76:1 aspect ratio. But he not only uses these moments for action, but to punctuate important moments within the film’s tale by slowly opening things up to its fullest view. It’s a perfect use of the highly entertaining nature of the format, while also using it for the film’s more subtextual elements.
“Sinners” could easily be called Coogler’s best film (a non-definite statement purely due to his excellent previous works), and it shows him at his most muscular and confident. He flexes his technical and subtextual skills, and crafts a tale that allows drama and genre to exist hand in hand. With a cast that excels, including shockingly standout performances from Miles Caton and Michael B. Jordan, a musical score that is downright ethereal, and a handle on his own original material that would make other seasoned directors jealous, he’s delivered one of the best theatrical experiences in years and the first true must see movie of 2025. 5/5
No comments:
Post a Comment