A gripping whodunnit despite some predictable choices

The biggest advantage of a time-bound murder mystery is that even if it has shallow characters and meanders occasionally, all will be forgiven if the end reveal is satisfactory.

- AKSHAY KUMAR

RYAN Coogler's Sinners has a lot to say but it also somehow works as a singularly focused genre film. While it is unmistakably a vampire film set in 1930s America, Coogler stretches the extent of his period setting and the genre to speak about several themes, including the nuances of racial subjugation, the intoxicating power of art, exploitation of labour, loss of individuality, Black heritage, the emotional roots of Blues music, and more. In a way, the film operates like a violent coming-of-age story of 'Preacherboy' Sammie Moore, played by an impressive Miles Canton. Throughout the course of the night, Sammie discovers the harsh reality of the Black experience in America, goes through a crash course on dating women, locks on the direction for his future, has his belief system shattered and possibly reshaped or reinforced, and the extent of his passion for music is tested. His cousins, notorious gangster twins Smoke and Stack, played by Michael B Jordan in a dual role, return home to open a juke joint and ask Sammie to perform on the opening night. As old connections are reforged and jubilations rock the night, trouble com