It’s been just over a decade since Ryan Coogler emerged with Fruitvale Station, a complex and engaging character study that examined a plethora of themes that are too familiar to contemporary audiences. Over the past few years, he made a small handful of films, each one brilliant and dynamic, and touching on complex themes that reflect certain uncomfortable but undeniable truths. He has gradually skyrocketed to become nothing short of an essential voice, aided by the fact that he has resisted making anything that he is not passionate about, avoiding the unfortunate trend of acclaimed independent filmmakers becoming nothing more than directors-for-hire for big studios – each one of his films is bespoke and tailored by his sensibilities, and handcrafted to reflect his fascination with certain subjects. However, it might just be his most recent offering that consolidates him as one of the most unquestionably important filmmakers of his generation, with Sinners being his most fascinating and enticing film to date. Set in Mississippi in 1932, the film takes place over a single day, and follows Smoke and Stack, twin brothers who fought in the First World War, and who made a small fortune working in organised crime – and now intend to retire from this lifestyle through moving back to their hometown and starting a business, purchasing an old farmhouse and intending to turn it into a juke joint, the opening night being only a few hours away, many of the local members of the community preparing for the festivities. However, the evening of celebration is quickly disrupted with the arrival of some sinister strangers, who initially claim to just want to have a new experience, but very quickly establish themselves as having ulterior motives. A brilliant and awe-inspiring blend of historical drama, psychological horror and action, Sinners is one of the year’s most exceptional films, an enthralling voyage into the past that serves as the coagulation of all of Coogler’s most provocative and peculiar ideas that he combines into a blend of harrowing socio-cultural commentary and wall-to-wall action, proving once again that he is a director who we should already be taken extremely seriously as an artistic voice, and who seemingly is continuing to grow as an artist with every new endeavour.

Coogler has never come across as someone who only intends to work within one genre or handle only a specific set of subjects. There are common elements that bind his work, but for the most part, he tends to seek out stories that capture his attention and which he knows will stir enthusiasm amongst the audience, both of which are key elements to his vision. Sinners is his first attempt at a high-budget original film (Fruitvale Station was produced on a shoestring budget, both of the Black Panther films and Creed were based on existing material), so he had the freedom to realise his vision without constraints, but also the burden of having to create something wholeheartedly original – and it is quite clear that he succeeds in both, without an ounce of hesitation. The themes that inform this film are made clear from the start – it begins with a lengthy opening act in which we are not only introduced to all the main characters and given some context on the setting, but also where the underlying subjects are made quite clear, primarily those relating to music and the role it played in defining African-American culture throughout its existence. To call Sinners a musical is not entirely true, but there are several performances throughout in which we see Coogler examining the importance of music, and in this instance, it’s steeped heavily in the history of blues, one of the most important and quintessentially American forms of artistic expression. As tempting as it may be, we can’t earnestly even begin to attempt to deconstruct any kind of music, let alone one that is as intrinsically tied to the experience of the black community throughout American history. B.B. King once famously said that he “wanted to connect my guitar to human emotions”, which is perhaps the most succinct and direct way of explaining how Coogler approached the subject throughout this film, providing a fascinating but intentionally quite ambigious examination of the ironclad link between culture and the way it is recorded, particularly in the songs that have lingered in the community as sacred texts for decades, or even centuries.

Yet, despite the overwhelming presence of music as a core theme throughout Sinners, there is so much more to this film than just celebrating the liberating power of artistic expression and how it can be a unifying experience for members of a community. We find that Coogler is actively seeking ways to explore these subjects without outright explaining them in detail – he has never come across as someone who feels particularly impelled to provide too much context upfront, choosing instead to craft something more layered, without becoming overly vague in the process. Sinners is a film that spends the first half circling horror – the first truly frightening moment comes quite late into the film, which makes it quite clear that it isn’t an attempt to use horror as a means to mindlessly frighten the audience, but rather to creatively utilise it as a tool to unearth certain uncomfortable truths and explore deeper themes, which gradually unravel and become quite prominent throughout the film. Identity is a key theme that governs the entirety of Sinners – the racial tensions between the African-American community and the various white characters that weave in and out of the story is foregrounded, and Coogler approaches this with a lot of tact, never resorting to the same very common talking points, but instead crafting a story that has something to say. He’s not interested in making a film that suggests that equality is the default and that absolutely everyone who claims to support it believes in it – there’s an insidiousness to how the film sometimes addresses some of its core themes, with the director highlighting the concept of venomous allyship, defined by the grinning strangers who claim to have the best interests of all people at heart, but in reality very rarely intend to follow through on this promise, and will usually use it as a facade to conceal darker and more sinister motives. The precise commentary at the heart of Sinners is difficult to define and certainly requires an active attention to detail, which is all perfectly compacted into every frame of this film.

Based on the extent of his gifts as a director, we have found that Coogler has managed to pull together quite an eclectic set of collaborators over the years – some recur throughout his films, others only participate once, but still leave an indelible impression. Sinners is a combination of the two, and it’s not difficult to see why it has been proclaimed as having one of the best ensembles of the year. First and foremost, Michael B. Jordan reunites with Coogler for the fourth time – they have been working together for years, and are essentially paired insofar as their respective breakthroughs into the industry occurred alongside one another, when Jordan led Fruitvale Station and officially arrived as an actor. While some may find him limited in some of his previous work, it seems impossible to deny his brilliance in Sinners, in which he plays dual roles, taking on the parts of the twin brothers who serve as the heart of the film. It’s a tricky assignment to play two roles, especially when there is intentionally no physical difference between them, and their similarities are factored into the plot. Yet, Jordan consistently finds ways to draw a clear distinction between the two characters and delivers a truly wonderful performance that removes all doubts towards his talents. However, as incredible as he may be, Jordan is also giving one of the least-interesting performances, which is not a criticism of him, but rather praise towards the supporting cast, who are just as well-crafted and intriguing. It almost feels impossible to choose a standout – we could look towards Delroy Lindo as the seasoned veteran whose tough exterior conceals a very vulnerable sense of compasion, or Hailee Steinfeld whose allure is matched only by her ability to command the screen, or even Jack O’Connell as one of the most sinister villains in recent memory. Lesser-known (but still brilliant) actors like Wunmi Mosaku, Lee Jun Li and Omar Miller are all wonderful and bring so much complexity to the roles. However, its actually Miles Caton that is most surprising, solely because this is his first acting performance, and he delivers one of the year’s most exceptional, daring portrayals to date, becoming the de facto protagonist after some time, and bringing a lot of nuance to what could have easily been a one-dimensional character. The entire cast of Sinners work remarkably well together, and bring all of its more challenging ideas together quite beautifully and with such precision.

While he has a few well-received and massively profitable films under his belt, we must be aware that Coogler is still comparatively quite young and has yet to attain the status that immediately leaps out and demands our attention, at least in terms of public perception – but that seems to be remedied by Sinners, which finally allows him to cross that threshold from being an exciting and rambunctious young filmmaker, to someone who is gradually developing into an essential authorial voice. It also helps that Coogler has such a precise, clear vision and the talent to support it – there are so many moments in his films where it becomes clear that he has a knack for this vocation, and the ability to put everything together with such exceptional consistency. Three moments stand out the most – two of them musical numbers, and the other the climactic confrontation – through simply taking a gamble and using his skill and the resources that he demanded to bring his vision to life to the full capacity. The result is an stunning film – the attention to detail paid throughout this film is remarkable, and we find that Coogler is not merely throwing together these ambitious ideas without making sure that the film that surrounds them is perfectly calibrated to his core vision for the narrative. The visual intertwines with the aural to create an immersive, captivating sensory experience – we are invited to step into this world, and we slowly find ourselves becoming lost in the past, enraptured by the sheer audacity that pulsates throughout this film. The cinematography by Autumn Durald Arkapaw is striking and unforgettable, and we are also given yet another astonishing score by the brilliant Ludwig Göransson, who has been present for Coogler since the start, scoring every one of his films to date and working closely with him to draw attention to the importance of music as a narrative tool, which has never been more prominent than it is in this film. Sinners is not only fascinating in terms of its narrative, but aesthetically and artistically resonant in a way that evokes many of the great action and adventure epics of the past, with generous layers of haunting, and often quite terrifying, imagery thrown in throughout to create this bold and unflinching masterwork.

There are at least three sequences in Sinners where it feels like Coogler is essentially redefining the art of cinema, capturing the very essence of why this medium has inspired over a century of artists across every conceivable generation and cultural extraction. Yet, despite clearly being aware that he was doing something unique and potentially much more avant-garde than it may seem to be on the surface, he doesn’t neglect to make this a film that is equally provocative and entertaining – the balance of horror and action immediately draws us in, as do the occasional bursts of humour that show that there was a sense of genuine enthusiasm that went into every moment of this film’s production. Coogler is such an interesting filmmaker, and his dedication to pushing the boundaries of the medium while also making sure that he is realising his unique intentions, never losing that spark of ambition that led him into this field in the first place. It’s an enthralling and deeply compelling work that blends so many genres, and brings a fascinating story to life with a sharpness that we rarely see in mainstream films these days. It does run a tad too long (there were a couple of scenes towards the end that could have been shaved off, and the post-credits scene is a great way to tie the themes of the film up, but didn’t need to run as long as it did), and there are a few elements that do make it clear that Coogler is still in the early stages of his career. However, this only makes it more exciting to see where he goes from this point – he has a clear passion for this film, which could ultimately mean that it is seen as his masterpiece, or he could continue to challenge the boundaries of artistic expression and produce several more unconventional and enthralling works that underline his skill, dedication and frank admiration for this medium, all of which are the core traits that make Sinners an unforgettable work, and a film that will likely come to be seen as a classic of the contemporary cinematic landscape.