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Major film studios are not really the place to look if you want to see a director get to do their own thing. The entire film industry based around dollars and cents is more known for bringing the director and their films back down to earth often reducing the artistic process. However there are those rare times where we see a director just go for it in every capacity and the film studio just (sort of) let them do their thing. Lately one doesn’t have to look too far just back in 2022 Jordan Peele’s “Nope” played like a true auteur design and given the major success of Peele’s previous two films Universal just let the man roll. Before then you may have to look further to 2007’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” where Gore Verbinski fit as much movie as you possibly could and for mega big brother Disney none the less. And yet in today’s world it seems like we should be thankful when we get these moments. Bong Joon Ho’s less than stellar “Mickey 17” got to be weird but still felt like it had a studio gripping its every fiber and while Denis Villeneuve may be praised for his madhouse Dune Part One and Two, the films themselves are quite tame  barely scratching the surface of the insanity brought to his novels. And if this all feels male dominated well unfortunately and quite disgustingly female filmmakers must likely get thrown out of the meetings the second they mention their own vision. And while all this may seem negative it couldn’t be further from the truth because if nothing else when these true visions do appear it often feels like a proper fuck you to the studio system as well as just an all-out reminder of the appreciation that comes from the artists. SINNERS the fifth feature from Ryan Coogler is an audacious display of a director getting to show his unapologetic vision. A film as electric and grand as the many formats you can see it in, SINNERS is not just another giant step forward for the director it in itself is groundwork for many to try and follow. Good luck to them. A concert of a film where every performer, set design, costume and yes music is as vibrant and alive as they come. And that’s even before the undead antagonists arrive. Yes, SINNERS is the reason we still love to see movies on the big screen and while it is great to have an event of a movie like this it is also just further proof that they can all be like this once those in charge start accepting the fact that well they don’t know a damn thing and and the only ones who can open that divide between art and success are the filmmakers. So shut up and let them perform.

Music is a beautiful thing that can cure the world but it is also something that invites the wicked. This belief is something we are told right at the start of SINNERS as we are introduced to Coogler’s version of 1932 Mississippi where Sammie (Miles Canton) desires to be a Blues guitar player much to the dismay of his preacher father (Saul Williams). Aiding in his passion are his cousins Elijah “Smoke” and Elias “Stack” Moore (Michael B. Jordan playing double duty). Identical twins who have returned to Mississippi after making and stealing their own money working for Al Capone in Chicago. Coogler doesn’t waste a second allowing every cinematic technique to completely absorb every frame as well as every inch of our mind. Autumn Durald Arkapaw’s cinematography is massive (even more so if you are able to attend one of the few 70mm location screenings) and accompanied by Ludwig Goransson’s score of twang guitar the Mississippi of the past blends into the present (more on that later.) All this supports the dual performances of Jordan who is as charismatic as his early days on “Friday Night Lights” and even more so during his breakout role in “Creed.” The twins have returned to open up a juke joint in an old warehouse they bought from a supposed Klan member. For the twins this is all about bringing together those that matter to them as well as taking back what has always been theirs. This crew of theirs includes old timer Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo), childhood friend Cornbread (Omar Benson Miller), and local business owners Grace and Bo Chow (Li Jun Li and Yao respectively). But a reunion also means old flames resurfacing such as Smoke’s wife Aimee (a phenomenal Wunmi Mosaku) and much to Stake’s dismay Mary (Hailee Steinfeld) who still holds resentment towards Stake for leaving without notice as well as abandoning her after her mother’s death, a woman who helped raise the twins. SINNERS (if you’ve seen the trailer especially) hints at something sinister but Coogler with a satisfying two hour plus runtime spends much of his earlier half of the film like a deep south Muppets movie full of hopes, dreams and unfinished arguments. It’s a tremendous first half that quite frankly could cover its own film especially when diving into the past history of these Black men and the horrors they’ve faced from unlawfully prison to losing loved ones to lynching. Coogler’s whose films have always been unapologetically Black seems to thankfully get to avoid the safe confines of producer notes and instead never backs down to the hardships of both the times as well as to a modern audience who is more than aware that these issues continue to follow so many today. Much like the music Sammie and Delta play, their pain and love will outlast them all as do their stories and history of their entire Black American community.

SINNERS delivers enough to fill several films before its main event (or events) and it’s astonishing to see a confident filmmaker in Coogler balance his ideas and themes with such ease. As the night grows and the juke joint slowly becomes a success you realize Coogler wants us to be a part of every inch of success and happiness that comes from the night and especially the performances. Without saying too much (although if you’ve seen the film you’ll know the exact moment) there is a segment in SINNERS that is so massive that the screen itself grows larger just to try and contain its magnitude. It’s a moment that encapsulates nearly every idea SINNERS has to offer you as the past, present and future become one. All accompanied by a musical performance from Miles Canton that will have you shaking your head in disbelief when you see his IMDB has this film as his only credit. He isn’t the only one the camera adores; the woman of SINNERS are storytellers in their own special way. Mosaku as Annie is the additional herat and soul channeling the otherworld energy the film brings while Steinfeld delivers her best performance since she broke out in her Oscar nominated performance in 2010’s “True Grit.” For Steinfeld it is a difficult role to balance given its discussion on White women with Black ancestry but both Coogler’s script and Steinfeld always come at it with such sincerity. And if that isn’t enough Jayme Lawson’s Pearline radiates off every frame dominating every movement and somehow controlling even the films funniest moments involving (checks notes) cunnilingus humor.

Oh yea did I mention the film is a vampire horror movie? Yea look at some point in most critics reviews the analytical dies out and the emotional takes over. And with SINNERS its nearly impossible not to just completely be enthralled with the film long before Jack O’ Connell’s Irish undead Remmick shows up to ruin the night. Coogler never chooses to add this later in the game as a surprise factor (for some it may be) but rather it ebbs and flows with such sincere tension. Witnessing Black characters survive through a Jim Crow south always comes with its own anxiety and Remmick a vampire trying to win over the Moore twins and their entire club not with just bloodlust but promise of something greater is both terrifying and complex. Coogler has always had an affinity for deeply layered villains and Remmick may be his best yet (sorry Killmonger). An Irish refugee Remmick is both the victim of his own persecution as well as the same source of the pain he once endured. The film itself opens up a conversation of colonialism for both the Black and Irish experience as well as the promise so many White people have offered to Black people when in reality the true meaning behind it often means total ownership and dehumanization. Remmick as a character is also just a terrific showcase for Jack O’ Connell getting to deliver his own show stopping number where Coogler parallels the Irish native experience with that of the Black. It’s a moment that evokes not just conversation but frustration beneath the layers.

But Coogler also knows that behind these evils are the perseverance of the Black community and SINNERS even in its darkest and bloodiest moments displays Black men and women fighting back knowing it is their stories that will survive all this hatred and bloodshed. Jordan as both Stakes and Smoke embodies not just two different sides of the Black experience but also the past and future and how many who want to continue the traditions of their ancestors must hold onto multitudes inside themselves. Seeing Jordan balance a calmness one moment and a vigor the next all for the same purpose is one of the films highest achievements in authentic storytelling. But it also means that SINNERS is not going to be an easy ride for its characters in fact quite the opposite as the film never hides its inspirations from Romero to Carpenter. SINNERS is also just pure popcorn entertainment on the highest caliber showing that the big audience winner can arrive at any moment.

The conversation around if Coogler has now solidified himself as one of the greatest directors of today is both a valid one but also one that feels more important in its discussion on how audiences and studios respect Coogler from here forward. The dues are more than paid and if anything Coogler is owed quite a lot in returns in many ways (talks of his ownership deal of Sinners is already making waves amongst Hollywood executives). Instead now is the time to just bask in the greatness of the film and understand that while these are far too few it doesn’t need to be this way. If Hollywood is heading towards another new wave of young directors that SINNERS will not juts be a blueprint it will be a reminder of when every artist stopped backing down and realizing their voices are far more important and deserves to be seen in the daylight. There is a chance to rewrite and not accept the “promises” but only if you stay true to the music because just like SINNERS the path of eternal life may seem tasty but in doing so you art is killed forever.

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SINNERS IS PLAYING IN THEATERS EVERYWHERE.