Ryan Coogler is thanking his fellow titans of cinema for inspiring “Sinners.” The critically acclaimed Warner Bros. feature stars Michael B. Jordan as twin brothers Smoke and Stack who return to 1932 Mississippi after surviving World War I. The duo open a blues club and soon are faced with battling Irish vampires who have migrated South. The film marks the latest collaboration between Coogler and actor Jordan, whose 13-year partnership began with “Fruitvale Station.”
Now, Coogler is reflecting on crafting “Sinners” and pointing to the auteurs he calls his “cinematic influences.” “I had the gift of the opportunity of making a film inspired by my family and my ancestry, but it was always a film that we wanted to make for audiences, in theaters,” Coogler wrote in a letter shared with IndieWire. “We always had our minds on you, the audience, and felt a deep responsibility to entertain you, and move you in the way only cinema can.”
In the letter, he credited Spike Lee, John Singleton, Steve McQueen, Ava DuVernay, Barry Jenkins, Quentin Tarantino, Andrea Arnold, Christopher Nolan, Jordan Peele, John Carpenter, Nia DaCosta, David Cronenberg, Stephen King, Joel and Ethan Coen, David Lynch, Josh and Benny Safdie, Brian De Palma, Josh and Benny Safdie, Francis Coppola, Wes Craven, Rian Johnson, and more filmmakers with inspiring the feature.
“We don’t get to do what we do if you don’t show up. To see your response to the film has reinvigorated me and many others who believe in this art form,” Coogler said. “And together maybe we can expand the definition of what a blockbuster is, what a horror movie is, and of what an IMAX audience looks like.”
The “Black Panther” director added, “I believe in cinema. I believe in the theatrical experience. I believe it is a necessary pillar of society.” Check out the full letter below.
And Coogler’s influences are also singing the praises of the film: Lee recently said during Carmelo Anthony’s Wave Original “7PM in Brooklyn” podcast that “Sinners” is an “amazing” feature that is crucial to cinema at this time. “I don’t think this is a horror film. I don’t know exactly what the word is but he invented a new genre,” Lee said. “I think we need this film now, too.”
