Movie Review - Sinners

Director: Ryan Coogler
Genre: Horror/ Drama/ Action
Runtime: 114 minutes
Year: 2025
Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, Jack O’Connoll, Delroy Lindo, Omar Benson Miller, Wunmi Mosaku
 
Description: Trying to leave their troubles lives behind, twin brothers (Michael B. Jordan) return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.
 
Review: In 1932, the immaculately dressed twin brothers Smoke and Stack, both portrayed by a fantastic Michael B. Jordan, return from Chicago to their home in Mississippi, where they hope to turn an old sawmill into a juke joint. A place where people can have a few drinks and listen to good live music. Their cousin Sammie is an aspiring musician, so they bring him along. Together with Delta Slims, who plays his music at the train station.

This town is not an easy place to live, since its earth is still blood-soaked from the atrocities of the Ku Klux Klan. But music is everywhere, blues is everywhere. The twins manage to open their juke joint and their opening evening already seems very successful. But after about an hour, when the party in the juke joint reaches its climax, the film suddenly breaks loose. And I won’t spoil much for you, but all hell breaks loose. There is a comparison to a Robert Rodriguez movie that I can definitely see, but “Sinners is much more powerful and grandiose, and the horror cuts much deeper than you think.

“Sinners” is without a doubt one of the best films that 2025 has brought us so far. All praise for director Ryan Coogler!

Rating: 4,5/ 5

00s Movie Review - The Last Castle

Director: Rod Lurie
Genre: Drama/ Action/ Thriller
Runtime: 131 minutes
Year: 2001
Starring: Robert Redford, James Gandolfini, Mark Ruffalo, Delroy Lindo, Clifton Collins Jr., Steve Burton, Robin Wright, George W. Scott

Description: A court-martialed General (Robert Redford) rallies together twelve hundred inmates to rise against a corrupt and sadistic warden (James Gandolfini).

Review: Eugene Irwin is a general who, through everything he has done for his country, has become a national hero. But by making one mistake he became a prisoner. Irwin must serve his sentence in the military prison ‘The Castle”, where Colonel Winter is in command. Irwin is brought in by Winter with the necessary respect. But when Irwin has his opinion about Winter’s collection of war weapons, it’s clear Irwin’s time is not going to be easy.
Irwin discovers that Winter enforces the concept of order and authority on the prisoners in a violent and manipulative way. At first, Irwin doesn’t want to interfere and just serve his sentence quietly. However, when Irwin stands up for the young soldier Aguilar, he is mercilessly punished by Winter. Irwin endures the ordeal with his head held high and thus gains more and more respect from his fellow inmates. After Aguilar is shot by one of the guards, Irwin can no longer ignore it and he takes control.
“The Last Castle” is a great film, combing impressive acting talent with spectacular action. It’s a captivating film, despite a high degree of predictability. The structure of the story is good, wonderful camera work and excellent performances by Robert Redford, James Gandolfini, Mark Ruffalo and Delroy Lindo.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

Movie Review - Da 5 Bloods

Director: Spike Lee
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 154 minutes
Year: 2020
Starring: Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Clarke Peters, Norm Lewis, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Mélanie Thierry, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Walter Hauser, Jasper Pääkkönen, Johnny Nguyen, Jean Reno

Description: Four African American war veterans battle the forces of man and nature when they return to Vietnam seeking the remains of their fallen squad leader and the gold fortune he helped them hide.

Review: Spike Lee goes in search of the African-American experience of the Vietnam War. The result is and extremely subversive film that turns the genre upside down. At the same time Lee manages to shed light on the underexposed history of many young black men who fought for America in several wars. “Da 5 Bloods” is a strong indictment of imperialism, capitalism and institutional racism in the United States. Which make this film extremely topical and it looks like Lee made this film only last week.
At the end of his previous film, “BlacKkKlansman”, Spike Lee drew and emotional parallel with the United States of the present with his bizarre historical narrative. In “Da 5 Bloods”, Lee does the opposite; the film is set in the present, but goes back to different figures and events from the complicated past of the U.S. in “Da 5 Bloods”, four African-American veterans return to Vietnam to collect the remains of Norman, their squad leader for the soldiers at the time. It soon turns out that the four men have yet another motive to visit the jungle of Vietnam. During the war they found a chest of gold bars, which they buried in the jungle. The prospects of the riches threatens to drive the group apart more and more.
“Da 5 Bloods” is a wild journey through the jungle. The aspect ratio changes several times during the film. Again and again this results in a different aesthetic experience. The ratio changes for the first time during a flashback shot with an old camera. The nice thing about these flashbacks is that the actors play their younger self, but they don’t use any rejuvenation effects. And it works very well. Archival footage is used several times as well, for recorded speeches of people like Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. Each time a historical figure is discussed, it is highlighted with a photograph.
Do not expect an epic “Apocalypse Now”-lie tale of the war. The film contains action scenes, but it focusses more on the characters and the story. The strength of the film lies in the depth the film seeks and the great acting. Especially Delroy Lindo is great, as the war traumatized and guild-ridden Paul. One of the highlights is seeing Paul trek through the jungle with a Trump cap on his head, while he increasingly loses himself in paranoia and delusions.
“Da 5 Bloods” is not an easy watch and a long sit. There are some moments that are hard to stomach. Specifically one archive photo of an infant, that will definitely stay with you for a while. Lee doesn’t hold back and show everything. And aside from “Da 5 Bloods” being a really good film, is had humor, fantastic cinematography and exciting scenes. And Lee wouldn’t be Lee if he didn’t use his political agenda, which also happens to be a strength of the film. “Da 5 Bloods” is therefor an important film that offers a different perspective on the Vietnam War. Or as Paul puts it: “we fought in an immoral war that was not ours, for rights we didn’t have”.

Rating: 4,5 / 5