Ryan Coogler is the man behind the successful “Black Panther” films, “Fruitvale Station” and the assistant in the creation of the “Rocky” spin-off “Creed” films. He also graduated from Sacramento State. As the director of the first installment of “Creed,” Coogler has taken the world by storm once again with his latest film, “Sinners.”
The movie was first teased in late September 2024 by actor Michael B. Jordan, the main character in the film who portrays twin brothers Smoke and Stack. As the director and actor are longtime friends, Jordan has collaborated with Coogler on the five films he has directed, playing a main character in all of them. With “Sinners” being Coogler’s first attempt at horror, it was expected that the person who created a film that ranks as one of the top three movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) overall could do it again.
And man, he did not disappoint.
I was able to experience the hype that this film’s fans were sharing on Tuesday, April 22 with my best friend after a long day of my usual early morning shifts and working on assignments. Mind you, I do not like horror films and thrillers, except zombie films for some funny reason, but I gave this one a pass as I’ve been hearing from folks that it was very good. I know that there are a lot of people who still haven’t seen it, so I won’t be spoiling anything that wasn’t previewed in the trailer as a common courtesy.
The fact that the movie was set in the times of the Jim Crow era is kind of haunting because the history behind it is so unsettling. I will always remember the history of that time since my mom taught me about it during my homeschool years. But add some bloodthirsty monsters in the mix, and you’ve got presumably one of the best horror movies. I think it has the potential to outshine future horror films that are releasing later this year, and we are barely just about a quarter into the year.
There are specific scenes in the film that made my stomach turn so much that even though I came into the theater with items from Taco Bell, I only took a few bites and saved the rest for later. If a movie has the ability to make you not want to eat while watching, you most definitely know that it’s a horror masterpiece.
The different nationalities of each culture were placed perfectly, but I forgot about it as each character had different tones with a Southern accent, which every character used. The film also included a lot of symbolism that has such a deeper meaning. I’m thinking about buying another ticket to rewatch the film and analyze each scene to find the meaning of all the symbols.
And let’s not forget the actors who were a part of this film. This is the first time I’ve seen actress Hailee Steinfeld in a serious role, as she is commonly recognized as the voice of Gwen Stacy/Spider-Girl in the Spider-Verse films and the MCU’s live-action Kate Bishop character. Her playing Mary in this film is something that I would never thought I would experience as this was the first time I’ve seen her in a serious role. Being that this movie is rated R, the language and the dialogue were explicit, like the type of language where my parents would tell me to leave the room when I was younger.
As I mentioned, Jordan plays the twins, Smoke and Stack. I already knew that he would play the heck out of his role, but it’s still shocking that even though he’s two different characters at one time, each twin has a different personality. You have to be one crazy director to bypass that one actor who is so good as two characters simultaneously.
The hype that this movie has received is most definitely worth it.
