With my main sports seasons behind me, it is time to get back into writing about other things. Yes, there will be more dating posts soon, but today, I jumped on the hype train to see the latest Coogler-Jordan movie, Sinners.
Sinners Strikes A Chord
Sinners is a movie set in 1932 rural Mississippi in the Jim Crow South during the Great Depression. It opens with an ominous scene, as the main character, Sammie “Preacher Boy” Moore (played by Miles Caton) enters a church bloodied and scratched with just the neck of a guitar in his hand. The movie resets back a day earlier to build up to that moment again in the film. The main plot line revolves around Preacher Boy’s twin cousins, Stack and Smoke Moore (both played by Michael B. Jordan), as they are two returning gangsters who spent time working for Al Capone in Chicago. The three of them spend the day assembling a team from the small Mississippi town to open a “juke joint” in the old saw mill at the edge of town that Stack and Smoke bought from a former KKK member with suitcase full of cash.
The movie takes a dramatic turn midway through with the introduction of a supernatural element that is referenced in a couple of different ways. Preacher Boy, who is an aspiring blues guitarist and singer, has such great gifts that he can conjure up both good and evil like a siren to those around him, unbeknownst to him. I encourage you all to see the movie for yourself, as I am not a spoiler person. However, let’s just say that the film turns a lot more gory than expected and becomes both a story of survival and overcoming the world that Preacher Boy lives in. I will tell you that there is an early mid-credit scene that is important, so do not leave until you see that.
Sinners marks the fifth official movie Coogler and Jordan have worked together as director and actor – Fruitvale Station, Creed, Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, although Coogler was involved in writing and producing the other Creed movies. Coogler also tapped Ruth E. Carter for the costume design, as he did in Black Panther, which seemed on point. Clearly, the Coogler-Jordan connection has resulted in quality films assisting both of their careers, but I give them both credit for stepping out on Sinners to jump in the popular horror genre. In this film, I started by wondering how they could film the Jordan characters with rapid dialogue, but eventually was lost in the tight storyline to build to the tension of the plot. The deep south intonation took some getting used to, but it felt very centered in the period of the movie.
I thought the acting was phenomenal. Michael B. Jordan may be a sex symbol, but he has never been short on range. In Sinners, I thought he effective navigated two different twins’ character arcs successfully, which is no small feat. The debut of Miles Caton, as Preacher Boy, who is an accomplished musician, was excellent. Like his character, he had to play the figurative second fiddle to Jordan, but when it was his time to shine both playing, singing and acting, I thought he was outstanding. The women in the movie really made the film more rounded. Often times in a movie of this type, it is either the last woman standing or just a vamp (pun intended) to get male interest, but Wunmi Mosaku, as Annie, who you have seen in Marvel movies and shows, was probably my favorite character. A beautiful, spiritual and powerful woman who not only protects others, but really deepens the movie emotionally with her relationship to Smoke Moore and her connection at the conclusion. Hailee Steinfeld, as Mary, has come a long way from True Grit, and in this role, she had to be part tough woman for a strong man and seductress. I appreciated her role. The last, but not least character among the women, was star on the rise, Jayme Lawson, as Pearline, who you may have seen in The Batman, but she was a steamy woman on the screen for Preacher Boy, but her song number literally had the juke joint jumping. Two more cast mentions of note, Delroy Lindo, as Delta Slim, who brought a seasoned presence to the movie was great. The classic drunk musician character was much more than that in the end, which I enjoyed, and lastly, a cameo by the Chicago Blues legend, Buddy Guy, made me smile.
The movie struck a chord with me, and I believe my fellow audience members in the deft handling of a tough topic in today’s America. The history of rural Mississippi in 1932 not even 100 years ago was depicted in a beautiful and heartbreaking manner. The barefoot in the fields sharecroppers spending their last nickel on one night of blues and booze somehow feels familiar even in the America of 2025. The haves and the have nots where the rules are different for those in power while others only can hope to grasp it for just one night. As much money as Stack and Smoke had in their hands, the white elite were not going to let them have it for very long. Coogler and his characters do more than live in the moment of the 1930s south, but they make you feel for them all the way to today.
Another key element to the movie that truly resonated with me was the music. The Blues was entertaining and powerful throughout the movie. Preacher Boy’s solo that conjured the spirits of music past and future, Pearline’s stomping number and even the eerie bluegrass numbers performed by the supernatural moved me at times into an almost trance, which I believe Coogler intended. The love affair the movie has with the Blues was as evident as the love between Annie and Smoke.
The last element to mention was the more overt messaging of unity. Ironically, the message came from the supernatural, which made me feel conflicted. Does unity only come in the afterlife? Certainly, the survivors always need to band together to fight a common enemy, in order be one. However, in this one, the lure of the supernatural and their apparent peace and harmony, including music may have been a statement on things greater than the context of this movie. The Devil offers a choice, but at what cost. Can unity be achieved without giving up your literal humanity?
So, in a time when we seem as divided as ever over race, politics and the economy, I believe Sinners will entertain you, challenge you and move you to be unified for a least a little while. If you can get past the gore, then Sinners is required viewing.
Enjoy it.
Wegs