Fans going to see Sinners, the Michael B Jordan-led vampire horror film, have been making a major realisation about one of the stars of the film.
Ryan Coogler’s newest film has been receiving near universal acclaim with a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes and box-office win over A Minecraft Movie, but there has been a great deal of discussion about the actors involved in the movie.
Whilst the cast is absolutely stacked even outside of Jordan, with Delroy Lindo, Hailee Steinfeld, Wunmi Mosaku, and first-time star Miles Caton all getting praise, British fans watching are being left in shock by one casting.
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Jack O’Connell, the Skins star, appears in the film as one of the main antagonists, playing an unnerving Irish vampire looking to change everyone he can get his teeth on.
While many didn't connect O’Connell to his role in Skins at first, his role as Cook is far too iconic to chalk that up to anything other than people having a selective memory and missing his incredible body of work between then and now.
Something, however, about O’Connell’s specifically villainous actions in Sinners has unearthed memories of a disturbing horror that some forgot he had starred in.
When discussing the film, one fan was giving praise in particular to Wunmi Mosaku, Michael B Jordan, and Ryan Coogler, before going on to say of Jack O’Connell: “Great casting all around.
“I was just reminded that Jack O’Connell was one of the creepy kids from that movie Eden Lake. I haven’t seen that in years.”
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Others made the same connection, saying: “Jack O’Connell’s getting some attention for Sinners, so I am obligated to remind you of Eden Lake, one of the most discomforting horror movies in recent memory.”
The horror film, also starring Michael Fassbender, Kelly Reilly, and Thomas Turgoose, features a young couple who take a trip to a remote lake.
Once there, they run into a group of unruly teenagers who begin pranking them, with things quickly escalating to unsettling levels.
The film is deeply controversial, having received a great deal of criticism for its portrayal of working-class teenagers.
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What is undeniable however is the universal agreement that it is one of the most unsettling watches in British film history. Peter Bradshaw said in his four-star review for The Guardian: “This looks to me like the best British horror film in years: nasty, scary and tight as a drum.”
Simon Cook said for Empire Magazine: “You don't watch it, you survive it. A battering experience, and the hardest Brit horror in years.”
In addition to the attention he is getting for Sinners, and it making film fans revisit Eden Lake, O’Connell is also set to star in the upcoming 28 Years Later.
The star recently spoke for the first time about his character who has been noticeably absent from all the trailers so far.
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He suggested it was perhaps his darkest role yet, saying he is playing a cult leader.
O’Connell went on to call the character a ‘gas c**t’, and if Eden Lake and Sinners are anything to go by, film fans everywhere will be thrilled at the idea of him playing yet another wrongun.
Eden Lake is available to stream on Prime Video, Sinners is in cinemas now.
Topics: Film, Michael B Jordan, TV and Film, 28 Years Later, Entertainment
Michael Slavin