Warning: SPOILERS forSinnersandFruitvale Station.
AlthoughSinnersis currently hailed as Ryan Coogler’s best film, the director previously had another prominent hit also starring Michael B. Jordan. From the opening logos toSinners’ ending, director Ryan Coogler’s newest horror film takes viewers on a ride that challenges their emotions in a number of unexpected ways. It’s certainly more than your average vampire flick, andSinners’ box officehas thus far accurately reflected as much. Even those that typically stay away from horror films might still appreciate it for its period flair and deeply complex relationship dynamics.
These things are accurately reflected by the overwhelming quantity ofSinners’ positive reviews, which have only grown in number since the film’s wider theatrical release. ButRyan Coogler was an acclaimed director well before he even began scriptingSinners, and it’s one of his earliest works that makes the clearest case as to why. Outside ofCreedand the twoBlack Panthermovies he’s done to date, Coogler’s first and only theatrical feature wasFruitvale Station, which also stars Jordan like all the others. From a certain perspective, it remains the hardest-hitting film he’s ever made.
Fruitvale Station Was A Tragic Movie About Oscar Grant
A Hard-To-Stomach Tale That Deserved To Be Told
It’s hard to maintain suspense in a movie based on a true story, since the audience already knows the ending. But that’s what Ryan Coogler accomplished by openingFruitvale Stationwith the real-life footage of Oscar Grant’s fatal shooting by a Bay Area Rapid Transit officer in 2009. WhileRyan Coogler’s inspirations forSinnersranged from animated films to family stories,Fruitvale Stationis based on a story that’s unfortunately been told numerous times over the course of history. Nonetheless, it’s sadly a story that sometimes still needs to be heard.
As opposed toHailee Steinfeld’s character inSinners, Oscar didn’t become a villain on the day his fate was sealed.Fruitvale Stationshows him leaving his criminal life of drug dealing behind. He spends the day trying to regain his job, wishing his mother a happy birthday, and spending quality time with his daughter. But because of how Coogler opens the film,each of these seemingly uplifting events is overshadowed by the knowledge that Oscar will never be given a chance to pay them off. That makes the film ten times more tragic than anything in Coogler’s vampire movie.
Why Fruitvale Station Is Ryan Coogler’s Best Movie
The Performances Alone Are Devastatingly Impactful
Against the sheer number ofeveryone who dies inSinners,Coogler’sFruitvale Stationonly needs one death to stop time. Even knowing Oscar’s fate beforehand, his murder somehow elicits less drama than watching others react to it. Octavia Spencer breaks hearts as Oscar’s mother, who maintains an eerie calm suggesting she’s both unsurprised by the cops’ actions and tragically aware that prayer’s all she has left. Meanwhile, Melonie Diaz adds panic to the scene as the first responders refuse to tell her what happened to her daughter’s father. Coogler clearly knows how to get the most out of his actors.
These performances carry the film well enough on their own, but Ryan Coogler adds his own flair to the movie that enhances the gravity of its tragic plot. One particularly notable choice is when he films Oscar falling face-down on the ground while wrestling the family children. It’s immediately apparent to anyone who knows film structure thatthis shot composition will ultimately be repeated after the BART officer pulls the trigger against Oscar, but even that prior knowledge doesn’t detract from the effectiveness of the scene.Fruitvale Stationmay just be the most precisely crafted film Coogler’s made.
Fruitvale Station Launched A Long-Running Collaboration Between Coogler & Michael B. Jordan
The Actor Has Been In All Of Coogler’s Features To Date
Coogler had reportedly already eyed Jordan for the role of Oscar Grant, but there’s no denying that working together onFruitvale Stationforged a profitable alliance between the two. They immediately shot to franchise fame whenCoogler next cast Jordan inCreedas well as bothBlack Panthermovies. Jordan now plays twins inSinners, which is quickly becoming regarded as one ofMichael B. Jordan’s best moviesthus far. ButFruitvale Stationremains one of his most important, if for nothing else than the end reveal that Oscar was only 22 at the time of his death.
Oscar’s never depicted as a saint. His strengths and flaws are laid side by side, but there lingers the heavy realization that none of his flaws justified the loss of his future. And the end of the film, in which his girlfriend is faced with how to tell their daughter that Daddy’s never coming home again, is the most heart-wrenching final shot of Coogler’s career. Although many will ultimately say the same ofSinners, Coogler shows withFruitvale Stationjust what he can accomplish when he films a story that truly touches him deeply.
Sinners
Cast
Sinners follows twin brothers who, in an attempt to escape their past hardships, return to their hometown seeking a fresh start. However, they find themselves confronted by a formidable and sinister presence awaiting their comeback. The 2025 film explores themes of redemption and malevolence.
