Ryan Coogler has been effusive in his praise of the legendary Christopher Nolan in the past and during the promotion ofSinners, and he may have hidden a nod to the revered director in his smash hit. The genre-bending supernatural horror movie is still in theaters after ahistoric second-week hold at the box office, and naturally, as time has worn on, moviegoers are beginning to uncover Easter eggs and craft elaborate theories. One specific theory about the Smokestack twins and their whereabouts before the movie’s events is particularly convincing.
Boththe thematic depthand the stunning film craft on display inSinnersare ripe for analysis, and it’s clear that Coogler aspires to place himself among the great visual storytellers of all time. He has been very open, as most directors are, about looking to other filmmakers for inspiration, and Coogler in particular has noted his respect and admiration for Christopher Nolan. According to the convincing theory below, that admiration manifested in a visual reference in the very first scene of the movie for Smoke and Stack Moore inSinners.
The Smokestack Twins' First Appearance Could Be A Nod To The Prestige
The Very First Frames They’re In Hide A Striking Detail
Based on the context provided in the movie, along with Easter eggs provided outside of the movie itself, we know that the Smokestack twins were in Chicago between their service in World War I and their return to Clarksdale, Mississippi inSinners. They return to open their juke jointloaded down with cash, Italian wine, and Irish beer, implying thatthey stole from both the Irish Mob and the Italian Mafia that would have been prevalent in the 1930s. It’s even mentioned that they hooked up with Al Capone himself prior to his arrest.
Their outfits at the beginning of the movie are evidence of which twin was involved in which gang; Smoke’s Irish cap and conservative wool suit point to him working with the Irish Mob, while Stack’s flashy fedora and decked-out pinstriped suit indicate he worked with the Mafia. When Mary confronts Stack about their haul, suspicious that they’ll get in trouble eventually, Stack tells her that the gangs will “never figure it out”. There is a visual clue that indicatesthe two brothers may have gotten away with the double-robbery by duplicating the twin plot from Christopher Nolan’sThe Prestige.
While he has since added films likeDunkirkandOppenheimer,The Prestigewas Christopher Nolan’s first true period piece. In an interesting parallel, the same is true for Ryan Coogler withSinners.
InThe Prestige, Christian Bale’s character turns out to be a set of twins that switch places back and forth as needed, living two halves of a whole life. In their first scene inSinners, Stack leans against the car, completely hidden behind Smoke. The camera slowly pans across Smoke, revealing thatthe one man the scene opened with is actually two identical men, visually stacked on top of one another. That could be how they were able to rob both the Irish Mob and the Italian Mafia: by having one twin act as an alibi while the other twin pulled off the heist.
Christopher Nolan Provided Advice To Ryan Coogler On Sinners
Nolan Was Even Thanked In The Movie’s Credits
An homage to Christopher Nolan in the form of a character backstory and a visual Easter egg would make perfect sense for Ryan Coogler, as Christopher Nolan was actually involved (somewhat) in the making ofSinners.Nolan received a special thank-you in the movie’s creditsforproviding Coogler with advice on how to best execute large format photography, as Nolan and his wife/producer Emma Thomas are seasoned veterans when it comes to IMAX cameras. UsingThe Prestige’s big twist to create the backstory for Smoke and Stack is a great way to further honor the cinematic icon.
Sinners Already Hid Some Of The Twins' Backstory Elsewhere
There Is An Easter Egg Hidden In Spotify
The backstory of both Remmick and the Smokestack twins is only hinted at during the course ofSinners, but hyper-vigilant moviegoers have discovered even more details in an unlikely place.The truth about their history was revealed on Spotifyof all places, in a series of newspaper article images that can be found in the artist information ofthe actual “Sinners Movie” artiston the popular music streaming platform. The details from one of the articles featured point directly to the confusion left in Smoke and Stack’s wake in Chicago, further reinforcing the theory that they pulled off something mind-boggling.
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While Coogler has certainly not gone so far as to confirm any sort of connection betweenThe PrestigeandSinners, the evidence is fairly convincing. Between his connection to and respect for Christopher Nolan and the striking visual clue in the twins' first appearance, it seems completely plausible that Coogler had Nolan’s underrated psychological thriller in mind when fleshing out Smoke and Stack’s backstory.It’s possible that this theory is confirmed down the line, either by Coogler himself in an interview or perhaps in the commentary sections of the physical media forSinners.
