Come for the vampires, stay for the magnificent exploration of music as a medium of cultural identity.
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When we chatted with Yao, the actor who plays Bo Chow in the not-just-a-vampire-movie Sinners, he shared with us how the movie was so much more than what he thought it would be. And was he right. If you’ve been following news about the movie, you’d probably know how critically acclaimed it is. And it bears repeating that Sinners deserves your attention. Not only is it one of the best movies of the year so far, but it’s also a work of fiction that proves why movies will always be the art form that it is.
The film follows twins Smoke and Stack who move back to their home in Mississippi to start a juke joint in the 1930s. Little do they know though that their slice of heaven turns out to be a gateway to hell as they encounter a true devil who’s ready to dance and then some. Part vampire flick, part exploration of the power of cross-cultural communities, Sinners makes its mark as a showcase worth experiencing. But in case you need a little more convincing, we list down some of the things that blew us away in this film.
THE ACTING IS EXCELLENT
Props to the cast who showed up on set ready to give it their all. Leading the pack is Michael B. Jordan playing the dual roles of Smoke and Stack, two sides of the same coin who capture your attention the moment they are on screen. Miles Caton (who makes his acting debut in this movie) is a revelation as Sammie Moore, a young and talented musician who yearns for more beyond his meager home.
Hailee Steinfeld’s Mary is as sweet as she is seductive with the actress showing us why she has always been that girl. Special mention though goes to Li Jun Li and Yao who play Grace and Bo Chow respectively. They play a Chinese-American couple who runs a grocery store in the town and whose dynamic plays a pivotal role in the film’s events, an aspect that Yao admits he didn’t initially expect when he first got the script. No spoilers here but these two definitely leave an impression.
What makes these characters all the more interesting is how the movie takes its time to build them up, as evidenced in the first act. The first hour is dedicated to Smoke and Stack going around town recruiting people to be part of the opening night of their juke joint. Through this, we meet each supporting character, how they connect with the protagonists, and the roles they’ll eventually play. To some, the movie’s opening moments might seem too slow or uneventful, but this world-building and character development makes us invested in these people, which makes the events of the movie’s 2nd and 3rd acts hit harder and makes viewers care.
THE MOVIE’S USE OF MUSIC IS DIVINE
Music plays a key role in Sinners, and it is arguably the key to the movie’s thesis. Music and horror are no strangers, but Sinners is one of the best movies to incorporate both elements together. The movie uses music as both a tool for world-building and as a narrative driver. From the very start of the film, we are told of the importance of music in the movie’s world, and it sticks to that promise until the very end.
Adding to it all is the excellent score of Ludwig Goransson that weaves in and out between authentic 1930s blues to tension-building chords. From the exploration and tribute of black music and culture to how music is used to reveal character motivations, Sinners just does it so well. There are a couple of scenes here where music is incorporated into the storytelling that makes for some of the most riveting and mesmerizing scenes in cinema this year (IYKYK).
CULTURE TAKES CENTER STAGE
In a world where movies are becoming just two hours of mindless action (which isn’t inherently a bad thing), Sinners stands out for giving both riveting action and something deeper to tell. The film isn’t just about a group of people trying to survive a night from a group of vampires, it’s a story of community and holding onto your culture in the face of oppression. The movie intentionally depicts a world where black music and culture are celebrated in their own spaces but also face persecution from threats of this world and beyond.
For a movie set in the 1930s South, the cast of characters we meet and follow are diverse, with an interesting aspect of this being Bo and Grace Chow. According to Yao, he and Li Jung Li watched a documentary on the Chinese of Delta Mississippi from the 1930s made filmmaker Dolly Li which helped them get into character and develop the thick Southern accent that was common among Chinese-American immigrants at that time who lived in the South. Also, with their grocery store, the couple profited from both the black and white community, yet it is strongly hinted that they, and especially Grace, don’t feel like they belong in the community.
It’s an interesting dynamic that is seen and explored in other characters throughout the entire movie. It makes for a richly layered film that knows exactly what it wants to say.
THE ACTION DELIVERS ON THE ADRENALINE
Sinners may start a bit slow, but once we get into the juke joint and the sun goes down, that’s when the action kicks in. The movie’s 2nd and 3rd acts are an exercise in tension, pacing, and brutality. We’re slowly introduced to the evil that’s about to come down on the community who want to absorb their culture into a singular entity, and once everything hits the fan, the action is exciting and the carnage is searing.
It isn’t necessarily a scary horror movie per se that will have you leaping from your seat, but Sinners does a good job at keeping viewers engaged with its action, and it’s made more impactful by the fact that it’s happening to characters we’ve come to know and like.
ON THE TECHNICAL FRONT, IT’S A WELL-EXECUTED FILM
Oh Ryan Coogler, the auteur that you are! Sinners is an ambitious movie, but when you have a director like Ryan Coogler, who created the IP from scratch, it works, with his reverence for the material making its presence known. Coogler directs the project with an intentionality that crisply captures the intimate moments and bloody action. Some of the movie’s scenes are true works of art that not only deliver their purpose in the overall story but also are just technical marvels.
It’s all stunningly captured through the lens of the film’s Filipino-American cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw, a frequent collaborator of Coogler. The movie’s mix of real-life locations and sets is another smart decision that adds to the film’s authenticity and character. A standout goes to the warehouse that serves as the setting for Smoke and Stack’s juke joint and where most of the movie is also set. A warehouse is a warehouse, but Sinners turns it into a setting and witness to the joys of community, love, and culture and the horrors of division, racism, and violence. The final, chaotic act in particular is one to remember long after the credits have rolled.
It goes without saying that Sinners is a great movie and makes for a genuinely enjoyable time at the cinema. But hearing from Yao on the making of this movie also shows how much time, preparation, research, and training went into the film we have today. The supernatural meets culture in this well-made and fresh take on a blockbuster that hopefully will inspire Hollywood to see the value in original IP once more. They ate that, literally.
Photos courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
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