SINNERS (2025) - 400th Episode!!!!

HAPPY 400TH EPISODE - Thanks to all listeners and subscribers for your continued support!!! :)

Smoke and Stack (both played by Michael B. Jordan) are twin brothers who also are both recent World War I veterans and Chicago gangsters.  It's 1932 and they have now returned to their home town in the MIssissippi Delta to start their own juke joint.  They find the right spot and recruiter plenty of friends and family to get involved including their cousin Sammie (Miles Caton) who plays a mean guitar and Smoke's ex-wife Annie (Wunmi Mosaku) who cooks some great catfish.  They gather various talent and kick off what looks like a promising night of blues music and merry......though there appear to be some unexpected visitors who come calling lead by Remmick (Jack O' Connell) and needless to say, these guys seem to be thirsty....though not for what you would expect. :o And what results is one wild, CRAZY night....not every one is likely to survive that night either!  Hailee Steinfeld, Delroy Lindo, and Jayme Lawson are also part of this extended cast in this raucous horror musical (?) from Oscar-nominated director Ryan Coogler (Black Panther, Creed).  

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Transcript

SINNERS - 2025

Directed by Ryan Coogler

Starring Michael B. Jordan, Miles Caton, Hailee Steinfeld, Wunmi Mosaku, Jack O’Connell, Delroy Lindo, Omar Benson Miller,Li Jun LI, Jayme Lawson, Lola Kirke, Buddy Guy, Helena Hu, and Michael B. Jordan

Genre: Musical Horror Drama (Audio clip)

Sinners is just a truly bizarre animal of a movie....an intense 140 minute genre hybrid (horror, chamber drama, musical) with two twin brothers played by the same actor (Michael B) as the main protagonist, taking place on the Mississippi Delta in 1932, and....STILL following a straightforward three-act structure no less! It's likely the most dizzying kitchen sink major studio release I can recall seeing since Spider-Man: Across the Universe....a movie I really liked but also just didn't know when to quit. 

Ryan Coogler wrote and directed this original period EPIC (?) apparently in between Black Panther sequels and I'm grateful that he did. I'm even MORE grateful that he cast MBJ once again (the Leo to his Scorsese if you will)...this time in a dual performance portraying Smoke and Stack, two WW1 veteran/former Chicago gangster brothers originally from this rural MS town of Clarkvale. They have decided to return to their hometown with stacks of cash and a sizeable supply of Irish liquor in tow....determined to kickstart their own juke joint. And the narrative pretty much focuses on opening night of said juke joint, the lead-up AND aftermath. 😮 

We get to know several locals who are friends and/or family of the Smoke/Stack pair most notably their cousin Sammie (newcomer Miles Caton who almost steals the movie), a young aspiring guitarist/blues singer who is also the local preacher's son...Li Jun Li (Grace Chow also fantastic), the Chinese co-owner of the local general store....Delta Slim (the always reliable Delroy Lindo), a perpetually drunk long-time blues musician....Mary (Hailee Steinfeld, also bringing the heat in more ways than one), a mixed race family friend who has a romantic history with Stack....and local voodoo expert Annie (Wunmi Mosaku with the film's SECOND most complex performance...for obvious reasons) who herself has a past with Smoke. 

And that's barely scratching the surface as there are even more interesting characters and performances to fill this joint out. 😏 Coogler's screenplay takes its time introducing us to most of these folks, also giving them time to breathe....we pretty much get to know all of them through a series of fun interactions and/or music of course, whether that would be performing it or dancing. I would say that for at least 1/3 of the film's runtime, it could almost qualify as a musical....lots of Southern blues music performed diegetically and a good time seems to be had by all. 🙂 All of this is just shot beautifully - with both elegance and passion - by Coogler and Emmy-nominated DP Autumn Durald Arkapaw and it sounds fantastic too! 

And about that music, it the heart and soul of the movie which ends being up WAY more about the Blues than has been advertised (not a bad thing) it's roots, its appropriation, its reputation as The Devil's Music, and...what it attracts this one fateful night at the juke joint. :o That would be a small band of Irish wanderers lead by the mysterious Remmick played with sing-song (literal) menace by Jack O'Connell who just seen. He and his friends just want to join in on the fun, they just need a formal invite.....hmmmm. 🤔

So yes things take a turn for the super-natural, also get increasingly bloody....and I'll leave it at that.  The horror elements are more tense than scary overall and yes the overall runtime is probably at least 10 to 15 minutes too long....including a post-credits sequence which I can appreciate the IDEA of though I'm not sure it really works.😕 

Best Needledrop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film): 

The musical sequences are next level and among the film's highlights, including ONE bravura extended one about half-way through....which....let's just say....takes QUITE the leap! I’m not sure if it will work for all audiences but it DID work for me and it all kicks off with an acoustic performance at the juke joint by Sammie….played by the IMMENSELY talented Miles Caton, this catchy ditty is called, “I Lied To You”. (Audio clip)  

Oh did I forget to mention that Miles was also an accomplished musician?  Oh yes INDEED…..here he plays the son of a preacher man on-screen but actually hails from Brooklyn, NY and is the son of a popular gospel singer Timiny Figueroa.  He’s making his way up and has toured with both HER and Faith Evans….dude’s only twenty so he’s definitely one to watch!  His vocals and guitar playing are next-level but of course, he didn’t do this alone.  This film’s score is composed by Sweden’s own musical favorite son….two-time Oscar-winner Ludwig Goransson who has worked with Coogler on every film of his.  Gorannson also produced the soundtrack which is filled with a mixture of blues standards and some sterling originals….and with Miles, he basically constructed a SECOND track of music to carry over from “I Lied To You” – yes this delves into different genres which STARTED with the blues and let’s just say that from a visual standpoint…..it goes in that direction too.  This sister track is called, “Magic What We Do.” (Audio clip)     

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film):

This movie opened VERY well last weekend….in fact next to Oppenheimer, it was the biggest opening weekend for an original movie NOT based on IP since the pandemic.  And it’s got GREAT word of mouth no less…..so this could potentially be building into a major hit - this makes me very happy indeed.   But….but….even though they apparently worked, I WILL say that the trailers for this movie give away WAY too much!  I guess it’s kind of unavoidable in today's film marketplace....especially when a studio has to pull out all the stops to sell an original, R-Rated concept.  And I get with this being a genuinely unique genre hybrid, the folks at Warner Bros marketing probably felt it necessary to push more of the vampire angle in the trailers……but did we literally have to see SO many prominent characters being “turned” in the advertising?  I just don’t know….the selling points were already there: Ryan Coogler directed Black Panther and Creed, Michael B. Jordan is one of our more well-liked movie stars right now….and yes those two names were ALL over the marketing as well.  So you got me, I was already gonna be there opening night.

And for me personally, I just found it a bit distracting….there was even one point late in the movie where something VERY prominent in the trailers had not happened as of yet….and I was like “Hold on, what about….” Here’s at least hoping that for the NEXT original film directed by Coogler that the studio doesn’t feel the need to put out so many spoilers to sell it….

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie):

Oftentimes in hardcore genre films like this one, it’s the ratcheting of tension….the BUILD-UP to a potentially cataclysmic event which can be as effective as the actual event, the payoff.  And that’s the case here…..I don’t want to spoil it too much and since I’ve only seen this once, I highly doubt I could actually recall each thing that occurs.  But there is about a ten minute stretch here….roughly about 80 minutes into the movie….which is just a MASTERCLASS of editing and tension.  Major props here need to go to editor Michael P. Shawver who has worked on each of Coogler’s films so far.  We’re basically cross-cutting between FOUR different spots….the sultry performance on stage, one potential vampire threat at the main entrance, ANOTHER potential vampire threat INSIDE, and at least one character roving around the whole juke joint desperately seeking help.  And wouldn’t you know it, the song playing on-stage and over ALL of this is another banger…and also performed by yet another cast member no less.  (Audio clip) 

That would be Jayme Lawson who plays Pearline, a local married socialite who kind of strikes up a forbidden romance with Sammie….yeah are we getting the gist that EVERY character here is a sinner? Well Lawson is another one to watch….she was fantastic in one of the best films from last year, How To Blow Up A Pipeline AND to my surprise, she also played the Mayor Bella Real in The Batman??  She’s versatile for sure…and she’s got ONE hell of a voice, the song is called, “Pale, Pale Moon.” (Audio clip) 

MVP (person most responsible for the success of this film):

Overall, I still found this to be one hell of a ride and also found myself very affected (even moved) by the story of Smoke and Stack. MAJOR props to Michael B Jordan for pulling off the aspect of this film which I had the most skepticism of off the bat....one actor playing two different characters sharing the screen?!? It can often feel gimmicky, distracting....and I wasn't even sure if MBJ simply had the range to pull that off, even with his overall strong filmography. There's no makeup trickery either....just two distinct performances (helped a bit by wardrobe) of two VERY different people who each go through their own compelling journey. It's simply astounding to watch this still (relatively) young actor pull it off on a level not likely seen....since Nicolas Cage in Adaptation. Or Jeremy Irons in Dead Ringers, he's THAT good here! For a movie which can feel overwhelming at points (especially towards the end), Jordan really brings it home with an Oscar-caliber performance and for that reason, he is the MVP. 

Final Rating: 4.4 stars out of 5 

I’m not sure if this is his best film but Coogler clearly has things to say and I can appreciate that he's saying them THROUGH compelling characters.  I just would have preferred more economic storytelling which didn't spill over into the closing credits.  I don’t know, I have to see this again for sure…..bottom line, we need more from Coogler and we need more big studio films like this one.

Now Playing in Theaters

And that ends another PALE PALE MOON review!