Write a commentSometimes, the experience you have with a film is more important than the quality of the film itself.
Years ago, almost 20 now, my entire immediate family was attempting to recreate my paternal grandmother's dumplings. I have no interest, and less skill, in the kitchen so I stayed out of their way and in the living room.
I've never been short of options for things to watch, even before the advent of streaming services. A couple of months prior to this particular day, I had taken a chance on an Anchor Bay DVD Horror Double Feature: 1984's "The Initiation" and 1983's "Mountaintop Motel Massacre". Having already watched "The Initiation", I decided, for whatever reason, this was as good a time as any to watch "Mountaintop Motel Massacre".
The movie is not good. It has major sound issues, questionable dialogue and performances that seem more at home in a daytime soap opera than a feature film. What's lasted the test of time about the film is that I watched it that day. It is a bookmark in my life. Each subsequent viewing of the movie reminds me of that cool November day, spent listening to my family argue about the correct amount of pepper.
"Sinners" has become one of those movies. After having visited our brother in Florida, my sister and I landed in Syracuse just in time to make an IMAX screening of "Sinners". We may have sped getting there, but we did so in time to get in and relax. It was the perfect coda to a great vacation.
I just wish the movie was better.
While leaps and bounds better than "Mountaintop Motel Massacre", "Sinners" greatest sin is its own crisis of identity. The movie never seems to know what it wants to be. It starts off as a drama about people attempting to get control of their lives. Smoke and Stack, both played brilliantly by Michael B. Jordan, gather people and goods to open their very own juke joint.
This is where the film excels. It's the trope of "getting the band back together". We get to see how each of the twins interacts with different people and situations. The story becomes about wanting to forge your own past and attempting to escape the self-inflicted restraints of your past.
Jordan deftly brings both twins to life and it is a true pleasure to watch. He's been one of our finest actors for a while now. With these performances, he's practically cemented his legacy. Other performances, specifically Mosaku and Lindo, are pitch perfect. They bring a significant level of gravity to the proceedings.
All of this would lead me, and most, to believe the remainder of the film would be as good, if not better, than what preceded it. Unfortunately, it just didn't work for me once the vampires show up. The main issue I have with the film is it is promoted as a horror movie. After all, there are vampires in it.
The issue is it's not scary, not in the slightest. There's no real suspense. At a certain point, I stopped caring because it seemed like the filmmakers stopped caring. The vampires show up and things just go as expected. People get bit, people turn, more people get bit, more people turn. Rinse, repeat.
What's worse is many of the characters you came to know and appreciate make some wholly stupid decisions that lead to their own demise. For a film that started out so intelligent and thoughtful, it fumbles about two-thirds in and never recovers. By the time the film reaches its conclusion, I lost almost all interest. It even manages to fail to end well.
This weird obsession with mid-credit sequences has turned people insane. There is no discernible reason for the mid-credit sequence to happen the way that it does. A mid-credit sequence is supposed to be a bonus, not the actual conclusion to your film. It seems cheap and lazy in ways that the first third to half of your film didn't.
Considering the pedigree of the cast and crew, this film should have been knocked out of the park. As is, it's (at least) two movies that don't mesh; one of them being a pretty shameless rip-off of "From Dusk Till Dawn", even as far as the mid-movie genre flip. At least with "From Dusk Till Dawn", it wasn't trying to be anything but fun trash.
"Sinners" aims big and misses big. A lot of the parts are there: great acting, cinematography, production design, costume design, score. But, the writing and direction are extremely messy. The most frustrating part is that it could have been an all-timer. Instead of a soufflé, we have a cup full of undercooked but great ingredients.
Despite this, "Sinners" will remain a bookmark in my life. Significantly better than "Mountaintop Motel Massacre" for sure. Maybe I have to watch it when it's cooler out with my grandmother's dumplings on the stove to appreciate it more.
Sinners (2025)
Directed by Ryan Coogler
Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Wunmi Mosaku, Miles Caton, Jack O'Connell, Delroy Lindo, Jayme Lawson
Runtime: 137 minutes
MPAA Rating: R (for strong bloody violence, sexual content and language)
Rating (out of ****): **1/2
