FILM REVIEW: SINNERS (15) ESP RATING: 4/5

One of the most impressive – and definitely coolest – movies of the year so far is the latest Michael B Jordan/Ryan Coogler collaboration.

After joining forces for the best part of the last decade on films like Creed and Black Panther, the actor and director will get plenty of plaudits for this stylishly – ‘Blues’ infused – period supernatural horror thriller.

Set in a 1930s Jim Crow-era southern United States, the film stars Jordan in a dual role as twin brothers – Elijah ‘Smoke’ and Elias ‘Stack’ Moore – who return to their hometown to start over again, only to discover that a vampirish evil is waiting to welcome them back.

But the ‘horror’ aspect interestingly doesn’t really manifest itself until the final third of the movie – simply simmering in the background to the back story surrounding the brothers.

As mentioned, they return to the Mississipi Delta in 1932 – serving in World War 1 – after years in Chicago working for the mob. Using money stolen from gangsters they purchase a sawmill from a racist landowner to open up a ‘Juke Joint’ in their local community. Which is basically the African-American vernacular for a hub that features music, dancing, gambling, eating and drinking.

Their young aspiring-musician cousin Sammie (the exceptional Miles Caton) – who has been warned that the blues music he plays is supernatural by his pastor father – joins them for the ride, as both of the brothers’ ex-partners – Smoke’s medicine woman/cook Annie (Wunmi Mosaku, who he previously lost a child with, and Stack’s free-spirited Mary (Hailee Steinfeld) – are established into the fray, after their long absence.

But elsewhere Irish immigrant Remmick (Jack O’Connell) is seen fleeing vampire hunters, and after turning a pair of local Klansmen into the ‘undead’, they descend on the opening night of the brothers’ new establishment – due to Sammie unwittingly summoning spirits of both past and future to the entranced crowd.

In a kind of more refined ‘From Dusk Till Dawn’ style, this then sets up an evening that everyone will never forget, as it turns into a battle for survival for those who don’t get ‘turned’ by the uninvited guests.

Arguably with a bit more sharper editing a good fifteen minutes could have probably been sliced off the runtime to make this a bit more accessible for casual cinema-goers, but for those who get transfixed, this is a memorable ride – headlined by Jordan sparkling in his dual roles alongside an exceptionally beguiling musical accompaniment.

The rest of the cast ably support what is a truly original piece of cinema from the highly-acclaimed Coogler – as his CV just keeps getting better and better.

Which would make it a sin for any movie buffs not to see this as soon as possible – as this carries an almighty cinematic bite.

ESP Rating: 4/5

Gavin Miller

Showcase Cinema De Lux Peterborough & Odeon Luxe Peterborough, Out Now

Cast: Michael B Jordan, Miles Caton, Hailee Steinfeld, Jack O’connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Omar Benson Miller & Delroy Lindo

Running time: 2 hrs 18 mins

Director: Ryan Coogler

Film review venue: Showcase Cinema De Lux Peterborough

For all the latest film information & showtimes at Peterborough’s Showcase Cinema De Lux & Odeon Luxe Cinemas go to www.showcasecinemas.co.uk and www.odeon.co.uk