‘Sinners’ a propulsive vampire epic

For the first half of “Sinners,” writer/director Ryan Coogler crafts an immersive and theatrical drama about music and community in the Mississippi Delta, circa 1932.

Then the sun sets, and supernatural demons arrive to wreak havoc at the grand opening of a juke joint owned by identical twins Smoke and Stack (both played by Michael B. Jordan). Among the entangled attendees: A preacher’s son (Miles Caton) entranced by blues music and other “sinful” endeavors, the self-medicating piano player (Delroy Lindo) and the former lovers of the long-absent-from-town twins (Wunmi Mosaku, Hailee Steinfeld).

Coogler, the director of the “Black Panther” movies and one of the few filmmakers to retain his autonomy while working in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, takes these seemingly disconnected halves to craft a uniquely thrilling and visually stunning drama brimming with big creative swings and ambitious thematic implications.

The centerpiece sequence, a music number anchored by a showcase debut performance by Caton, blurs time and space with thumping sound and unforgettable imagery. It’s a moment so transfixing, it can’t help but attract a trio of harmonizing bloodsuckers.

When it becomes a survive-the-night horror thriller, “Sinners” doesn’t mess with the vampire formula. Coogler’s rich character work in the first half, however, infuses the film with the necessary stakes (pun intended) to make the carnage even more visceral. Jordan gives two entirely distinct and towering performances, and the supporting cast, all superb, complement the film with distinct personalities worth rooting for. The film’s chief vampire antagonist, Irish immigrant Remmick (Jack O’Connell) pitches the vampiric life as one that does not distinguish between skin color, adding another complexion to the film’s thematic resonance.

Coogler’s films routinely contain topline talent behind the camera, and “Sinners” is his most expansive, big-screen-worthy effort, aided by the infectious score by Ludwig Göransson and splendid cinematography by Autumn Durald Arkapaw, who captures both the beauty and terror of 1930s Mississippi.

Between the racially charged setting, the bloodletting and a few surrealistic musical moments, “Sinners” is wholly original and unafraid to make bold choices, most notably in an essential mid-credits sequence that recontextualizes Coogler’s intentions.

Prestige genre filmmaking such as “Sinners” deserves success and will hopefully propel Coogler and his collaborators into a new league. Sure, he can keep making “Black Panther,” just as long as we get great stuff like this along the way.

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Tyler Wilson can be reached at twilson@cdapress.com

    This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Michael B. Jordan, center, in a scene from "Sinners."