Sinners is a sensation, a story about the Blues, about the black people living in 1930s Mississippi, and also happens to be about vampires. The screenplay and direction is crafted by Ryan Coogler. His last film was Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). A guitar strums, music that is almost eerie, we see a print aof a man in hat with guitar strapped to his back. The narrator, Annie (Wunmi Mosaku) says some people are born with “the gift of making music so true it can pierce the veil between life and death.” We see the darkness behind the musician filled with demonic faces. She says in Ireland the singers were called Fili, the Choctaw knew them as firekeepers, and they were griots in West Africa. The last part sees faces in the darkness above the fire next to the griot like the musician. There is a connection between all of them.
This opening narration sets the ancient roots of music and its power. The narrator says it can heal communities, but also “attracts evil.” A face in the window resolves to its red eyes! The sun above some clouds and dark trees in an early morning. This is “Clarksdale, Mississippi, October 16, 1932.” The history says musicieans developed the blues there and then took it to Chicago and other cities. A red Patterson-Creenfield 1915 touring car, Richard Patterson was the first Black-owned car manufacturer, it hops down the dirt road. The driver is a young man in tattered clothes, Sammie Moore, played by Miles Caton. This is his first film, he was in the talent show, Little Big Shots. Sammie walks out, his shirt is bloody, and he carries the neck of a guitar. He walks over to a white painted church. Young children sing, “This little light of mine.”
They sing quietly as he opens the church doors. Ruthie (Andrene Ward-Hammond) calls out his name. The pastor, his father Jedidah (Saul Williams) calms her down and calls Sammie over, a shock of images, as Jedidah preaches about sin. Sammie staggers over, he has claw marks on his left cheek, we see a cross above the pastor and Sammie. He hugs his father who wants to leave his “sinning ways” and drop his guitar. Sammie looks at his guitar as we get “one day earlier.” Sammie is humming while picking cotton in the early dawn, it is a beautiful shot, cinematography by Autumn Durald Arkapaw. Sammie heads home and later greets his mother. He walks into his house to wake up his siblings, opens the back door, to look out to the sky.
Waiting next to the Patterson-Greenfield car is the Smokestack Twins; Smoke with a blue cap and his identical twin brother, Stack with red hat both played by Michael B. Jordan.The last role for Jordan was Creed III (2023) which he also directed. Stack hands his brother a cigarette, the effects are flawless. A black car pulls up, Hogwood (Peter Dreimanis) gets out, he has a white hat with a vest. He shows them the former mill, spits, and says these “boys” were going to buy the building. Stack says they are grown men with money and Smoke reaches for the gun in his jacket. Stack moves the jacket from his holster. Hogwood says that’s just the way they talk and Stack puts a bag of money in his hands. Smoke says there is no more money from them and warns Hogwood about his “klan buddies” coming around the property. Hogwood says there is no klan.
Sammie walks to the church, hat in hand, and says he finished his work to Jedidah. He eyes the guitar his father brought to the church. Sammie reads from the Bible and then picks up the guitar. His father doesn’t want him to play for drunkards. The car horn beeps and Stack calls for his cousin. Sammie gets in the back seat and they drive away. He asks about Chicago, Smoke says they were tired of it, they were gone seven years, and came back home. Smoke stops the car and they push out bushes to reveal a truck. A snake rears up, but is stabbed by Smoke! He just wants to set up their own juke joint, but his brother says the grand opening has to be that night. Smoke is going to talk to the Chows while he has Stack take Sammie. They hug, their something not only personalities, but brotherly bond that make the Smokestack Twins an impressive acting feat for Jordan.
Stack drives the car with Sammie while Smoke drives the truck into town. Smoke calls over a teenage girl (Aadyn Encalarde), asks her if she knows the Smokestack Twins, and then has her watch over the truck. He says he will pay her ten cents a minute, she smiles, and then has her negotiate to twenty cents. Smoke walks over to the Fourth Street Pharmacy & Barber. A full, busy market, he asks the girl at the register, Lisa, about her father. She calls for her father, Bo Chow (Yo). He orders catfish for the opening. Bo asks about the Chicago casinos, but Smoke hears his car horn. He draws his gun and sees two thieves at the back of the truck. Smoke shoots one of them in the behind, Terry (Sam Malone), while the other is about to run. Terry thought Smoke was working for Capone in Chicago! He shoots the other thief in the leg! Smoke returns to the store and gives money for the doctor to tend to the thieves. There is something ruthless, but also compassionate about Smoke.
He tells Bo that he also needs a sign so he tells his daughter to get her mother, Grace. At the market register, Grace (Li Jun Li) switches places with Lisa and then walks back to the pharmacy. She remarks about the two shot men and Bo gives her the payment. He brings up the sign, Grace is quick with the charge for front door sign and menu. She’s quicker at the negotiating than Smoke! Bo brings up that they have one color, more negotiating, and Smoke wants flowers added to their deal. On the road past the cotton fields, Stack tells the truth about his father, he was beating him unconscious when Smoke killed him. Sammie admires the guitar and Stack tells him that it is Charley Patton’s guitar. Patton was the “Father of the Delta Blues.” He says wants to hear Sammie play the guitar.
Stack is stunned hearing Sammie’s playing and singing. They reach the Clarksdale train station. Sammie is amazed to see Delta Slim playing his harmonica. He is played by Delroy Lindo who is in the comedy series, Unprisoned. They clap at Slim’s playing and Stack introduces his cousin as Preacherboy Sammie. He says he’s the best blues player. Stack offers him $20 to play at the juke joint, but Slim says he has a steady job and liquor which he says is all a sinner needs. Stack says he will drink to Slim and has an Irish beer from Chicago. Slim takes it from him and revels at the taste. Stack says he has 500 more bottles! He offers Slim $40 for the night and all the beer he can drink. Slim and Sammie play to a crowd and Stack says that they are playing at Club Juke. A woman in a blue dress, Pearline (JaymeLawson), claps along and looks at Sammie. Lawson played Shante in The Woman King (2022).
About to board the train, another woman, Mary (Hailee Steinfeld) in a pink dress, she hears Stack’s pitch. Sammie walks up to Pearline, he knows she sings, and he says his name is Preacherboy. She says she is married and starts to walk away as Sammie sees Mary, she’s all kinds of trouble. Sammie tries to warn Stack. Mary knows Stack and he left saying he loved her. She had buried her mother who cared for the twin brothers. They head off for one more stop driving through the cotton fields until Slim tells Stack to slow down as they pass a chain gang digging a ditch. He tells them to hold up their heads. Slim says to Sammie that he knows all of them. He tells the story that his friend, Rice, and he were caught by sheriffs and played for them. Slim spent the money on drink and Rice bought a train ticket until caught and lynched by the klan, we hear Rice during that time off screen.
Slim starts humming, a song of the pain. I love the power and sadness of music in this movie. They drive to a cotton field and Stack calls out, Cornbread (Omar Miller), picking cotton. The actor played Albert Gibson, Jr. in the television series adaptation, True Lies. He introduces his wife, Therise (Emonie Ellison). Cornbread doesn’t like Stack’s jokes and he waves the money he will pay Cornbread. A shack, Stack drives up with a handful of flowers that he places at a memorial for his father. He protected his brother and still pays respect to his father. At the cabin is Annie (Mosaku), Stack tells her about the juke joint, and Annie sells some bottle to kids. Mosaku reprised her role of B-15 from the Loki series to Deadpool & Wolverine (2024). He shows her money, but she doesn’t want to take cursed money.
Stack says he has been traveling the world and didn’t see magic, but he did see power given by money. She asks about her mojo bag and Stack snaps it from his leather necklace. Annie does a ritual with the bag thanking for his return. He says he needs her as a cook for the juke joint. She calls him Elijah and he says he still loves her. They passionately touch and kiss each other. The truck drives down the cotton field and we also see the car with Stack’s group. Then, Bo helps Gracie into a car, and she waves to Lisa in the store. I love these characters, different backgrounds, all come together in this town to bring music. The sun starts to set, a man jumps down to run to a farm house, his body smoking. He knocks at the door, it looks like he is badly burned, this is Remmick (Jack O’Connell). In 28 Years Later (2025), O'Connell played Sir Jimmy Crystal.
The door opens with the couple, Bert (Peter Dreimanis) and Joan (Lola Kirke) with shotguns. He says he was chased by Choctaw, the same people we heard about in the beginning. Remmick pleads for their help and sees their klan hoods and robes. He gold up some gold. The Choctaw ride in on horses and one truck. The leader, Chayton (Nathaniel Arcand) warns Joan about the man they were chasing, “he is not what he seems.” Chayton tells her that she shouldn’t invite him, but then the other hunter warns him abou the late hour. They leave. Joan goes to check on her husband setting aside the shotgun. It is quiet when she sees Remmick covered with blood. Bert rises up and Joan screams. These are the vampires about 40 minutes into the film! It is night and Club Juke is ready for business. Cornbread is the door man welcoming the guests. Slim is on the piano. Dancers are on the floor. Annie works at the bar showing the Irish beer and Italian wine.
The two together are like the Smokestack Twins, but they may have come from two different organizations, the North Side Gang with Stack? and the Chicago Outfit (with Al Capone) that included Smoke? A man pays with wooden nickels and Stack serves him corn liquor. Smoke takes them to a back room. Pearline walks up welcomed in by Cornbread. Sammie greets her. Smoke only wants payment in dollars, his brother, and Annie say that the workers in the field work hard and need to feel like it is their place. Cornbread is about to greet the next guest, Mary, all of the characters are here! Sammie tells Pearline that they set up Club Juke that day. He explains to her that the twin’s father was the older brother to Jedidah. Sammie sees Mary and walks over to her to say she shouldn’t be there. She gets him a drink from Grace.
Smoke says he doesn’t know hoodoo like Annie and also he doesn’t talk slick like his brother. Stack says it’s opening night and that there were only be a few paying with wooden money. Mary asks Sammie if he is making money with his guitar. Her frank way of talking is fun for the character. Sammie blurts out what is Mary. She explains that her mother’s father was half-black. Mary adds that her mother delivered the twins. Smoke says they gave her mother flowers when she was alive. Stack leaves his brother to try to show Mary the door, but she says she is there ot hear the blues. Then, he says he will hire women to drag her out, Mary counters saying he taught her how to fight. She says she will beat up every woman in the place, funny! Stack says he got her a “rich white husband” and a farm in Arkansas. He says the wrong person there would get out word and he and his brother would have to kill all of them.
Mary says she waited for him. Stack finally admits he loves her and wanted her safe. He walks off. Stack’s fear of this relationship is brilliant, Mary wants them together, no matter the cost, he is not ready. The piano is playing and the couples sway to the music. Smoke watches from the rafters. Slim finishes to applause. He stands up with a beer saying he heard about a young man. He calls up Preacherboy. Sammie walks up and starts a few chords and Slim says tell the audience about himself. He introduces himself, Mary smiles, and Sammie says he wrote the song for his father. He starts playing, feet stomp around, this is stunning music, “I lied to you” that is the centerpiece of this movie. The music by Ludwig Gorannson is perfect. Music, acting, Caton’s singing, extras dancing, and cinematography all combine in what Annie had said, repeated again, music so true, it can “conjure the spirits of the past and the future.” Sinners is a masterpiece by Ryan Coogler of sight and sound, catching the blues, and and also drawing the dark spirits of vampires to it!
Five+ Guitars out of Five!
#Sinners, #RyanCoogler, #AutumnDuraldArkapaw, #MichaelBJordan, #HaileeSteinfeld, #MilesCaton, #WunmiMosaku, #JaymeLawson, #DelroyLindo, #LiJunLi, #OmarMiller, #Yo
#JackOConnell, #PeterDreimanis, #LolaKirke, #SaulWilliams, #AndreneWardHammond, #AadynEncalarde, #EmonieEllison, #SamMalone, #DaveMaldonado.
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