Returning to their hometown after making it rich in Chicago, twin brothers ‘Smoke’ (Michael B. Jordan) and ‘Stack’ (Michael B. Jordan) Moore kick off their new business venture, converting an old sawmill into a local Juke Joint. Hiring aspiring guitarist Sammie (Miles Caton) and legendary pianist Delta Slim (the just-as-legendary Delroy Lindo), the brothers quickly attract quite the crowd as the venue opens its doors.
But overworked locals aren’t the only ones flocking to Smoke and Stack’s joint – drawn like a moth to a flame by the tunes, vampire Remmick (Jack O’Connell) is determined to join the party, and no doorman will put him off. So far, so From Dusk Till Dawn, down to the gangster brothers and gratuitous bloodshed.
The Titty Twister never had such good tunes though, and Sinners joins The Wicker Man as an under-the-radar musical, its songs taking on mythic status in the film’s most striking scene. Even when no-one is singing, it’s the best-sounding film of the year so far, assisted by a thumping score from composer Ludwig Göransson. Whether the devil really does have the best tunes is a matter for debate, but Remmick certainly has a couple of good ones up his sleeve, momentarily turning the film into scenes out of O Brother, Where Art Thou or a Titanic dance party.
There are some proper themes there under the hood, and writer/director Ryan Coogler uses his 137-minute runtime to explore ideas of appropriation, assimilation and false brotherhood. At the same time, it luxuriates in its setting, not hurrying a single one of its delightful Blues numbers or colourful character moments.
Like all the best vampire films, it’s properly sexy, and Jordan’s chemistry with both love interests (Hailee Steinfeld’s Mary and Wunmi Mosaku’s Annie) sizzles. So enjoyable are the interplay between the characters and the vibes in the brothers’ joint that when the inevitable genre twist does come, it’s almost an anti-climax. Still, Coogler commits as much to the action as much as he does everything else, and Sinners’ back end packs in some of the best vampire action since… well, From Dusk Till Dawn. If it lacks some of the rhythm of the first half, Coogler makes up for it with some truly show-stopping moments of violence and a gratifyingly outrageous coda which harks back to the film’s opening.
Sinners is a big, juicy period horror film, backing up its scares with powerhouse performances and an electric soundtrack.
SINNERS is out now in UK cinemas.
