SINNERS

Sinners is a cautionary tale about cultural appropriation and the importance of ownership. It’s the first film that resonates with the labor debates underscored by the recent WGA and DGA strikes.

Set in Jim Crow–era America, the film explicitly engages with themes of Black capitalism, cultural appropriation, identity, racism, exploitation, and the pervasive structures of white supremacy. It's a fascinating film that is a piece with the Trump presidency.

Interestingly, the film's vampires reflect a certain mood and comment on America's social status, lending a thematic parallel to fascism and its Ku Klux Klan counterparts - its boldest and most provocative idea.

Remmick, being an interesting antagonist, seeks to co-opt Sammie's gifts and, by extension, Black identity and culture, transforming them into a homogeneous identity under the guise of equality, diversity, and inclusion.

However, Sinners makes the inherent idea of cultural appropriation monstrous and unsettling. It conveys the flip side of white supremacy through the veneer of progressive ideals while exploiting Black culture and history.

Sinners delivers a striking critique of Black capitalism, arguing that marginalized groups cannot attain true freedom through the pursuit of wealth within a capitalist system. Instead, it becomes a self-perpetuating cycle of exploitation and corruption.

This theme crystallizes with the Moore Twins, who are driven to build something of their own, deal and conspire with forces bent on erasing their Black identity and culture. Their jukebox joint, ultimately unmasked as a slaughterhouse for African Americans, embodies this betrayal.”

Clashes between oppressed minority groups recur throughout Coogler's work, most notably in Black Panther and Wakanda Forever. Yet in both films, the idea plays like a narrative shortcut, sidestepping a deeper engagement with the systemic racism and abuse that drive such conflicts.

However, in Sinners, this theme functions as a rigorous critique of institutional colonialism, while also interrogating how marginalized groups can internalize and redirect systems of violence to assert dominance over one another.

Overall, Sinners is a personal work from Ryan Coogler that stresses the idea of ownership, cultural and creative identity of oppressed groups, and the need to be protected by forces that seek to exploit it.

Technically, Sinners is an accomplishment. Its direction balances social commentary with genre conventions. Lush visuals, Atmospheric lighting, and varying aspect ratios amplify the film's expansive scope.

The acting conveys physicality, layers, range, chemistry, and drama to the forefront. Rhythmic, the editing sustains atmosphere, punctuates moments of horror, and builds tension into the narrative.

The score is a potent mixture of Blues music, Irish folk, and classical instruments employed in musical numbers. The soundscape thrives on ambient textures, muffles, risers, and the pulse of Blues music, amplifying the atmosphere.

The detailed period production design provides scope, scale, size, and inventiveness to the narrative. The cast consists of diversity, fit, and star power. The effects consist of extensive prosthetic effects, makeup, gore, and practical effects.

Overall, Sinners is a holistic blockbuster that is ambitious and has an energetic and dynamic drive to it. It's a rare synergy of blockbuster and auteur vision at its finest.

   Writing: 10/10

   Direction: 10/10

   Cinematography: 10/10

   Acting: 10/10

   Editing: 9/10

   Score: 10/10

   Sound: 9/10

   Prod Design: 10/10

   Casting: 8/10

   Effects: 9/10