Sinners is scary, sexy, sublimely directed and one of the most exciting movies of the year.

The serious American South share cropping tale which turns into a stylish vampire romp is director Ryan Coogler’s (Creed, Black Panther) first original film since 2013’s Fruitvale Station and is absolutely worth the wait. It feels like there are three separate movies in Sinners, but Coogler’s steady hand hides the stitches in such a way that it all feels coherent.

There is the first layer of Jim Crow-era racial division in 1930s Mississippi, the celebration of blues music and its importance to southern black communities and the vampire story which takes up the final 30 minutes. It is a lot of movie in the best way possible, with every act pushed to its fullest extent before moving onto the next.

At a basic level, Sinners is also simply incredible to look at. Shot on film, each scene is directed with such care and artistic vision that even quiet moments hold your attention. From wide open sun-soaked cotton fields and vibrant church services to speakeasy dance scenes and bloody horror, Sinners serves up a visual feast which should absolutely be watched in cinema.

Without spoiling it, there is one particular sequence at the end of the second act which is unlike anything I have ever seen before and one of the most memorable bits of filmmaking in years.

Michael B. Jordan leads an excellent cast and plays a dual role as twins “Smoke” and “Stack” who are gangsters returning to their Mississippi hometown after working for the mob in Chicago.

The brothers plan to use their ill-gotten fortune to open a club that plays blues music and offers the local black community a place to enjoy entertainment.

The third act takes a turn for horror and the speakeasy becomes the site of a human vs vampire showdown which draws heavily on From Dusk Till Dawn. While it is never terrifying in the way that some horror movies are, there are enough scares to warn off those who do not enjoy the genre.

Sinners is an excellent, propulsive movie that will have you rapt throughout. Make sure to watch it on the big screen.

Rated 16 for Language, Sex and Violence.
4/5.

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