“Sinners” was written, produced & directed by Ryan Coogler and stars Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, Omar Miller, Wunmi Mosaku & Delroy Lindo. This film marks the 5th consecutive film that Coogler has written, directed and featured a performance from Jordan. 2013’s “Fruitvale Station” marked a breakout film for both of them. 2015’s “Creed”, 2018’s “Black Panther” & its 2022 sequel were all written & directed by Coogler & had featured Jordan in major roles. This film marked the first time that Coogler stepped into the horror genre but marks Coogler’s first credit as a producer for his film.
In 1932, during the Jim Crow era in Mississippi, twin brothers, Smoke & Stacks (Both played by Michael B. Jordan), return home after serving the army during WWI & spending 7 years in Chicago, to open night club & start their own business. Their plan is to have a big opening night with food, music & imported alcoholic beverages for the locals. The twins recruit their younger cousin, Sammie (Caton) known locally as Preacher Boy, having been the son of a local minister. Delta Slim (Lindo) a local jazz & blues player, “Cornbread” (Miller), Stacks longtime friend & Annie (Mosaku), Smoke’s wife and occultist. Stacks is blindsided by the sudden arrival of Mary (Steinfeld), the twin’s childhood friend & Stacks’ ex-girlfriend. That night at the opening, everything seemed to be going great until the arrival of 3 white foreigners who claim to be musicians, however, in dark turn of events, the trio are in fact vampires and begin slowly turning the locals into a legion of the undead. Now, the twins & the others must fend off the slow growing wave of vampires attacking them until the sun rises.
I’ve been a huge fan of Ryan Coogler & was eagerly anticipating this film from the moment they dropped the teaser earlier this year. This was a fantastic film from beginning to end. The look & feel was great, the acting, the directing were all top notch. Out of all the films the Coogler has made, this has to be his masterpiece. Michael B. Jordan’s performance was great as was the rest of cast. Especially, Miles Caton. He’s the standout & much praise to him for this being first film anywhere. Coogler did an amazing job blending elements of the horror genre with the look & feel of a period piece / crime drama. The film is “Django: Unchained” meets “From Dusk Til Dawn” with Coogler’s signature “grit” in his writing. Coogler also did a great job blending music into the movie. The heart & soul of the movie is the Blues music, almost like it’s a celebration of music throughout history. My only complaint with the film is the main antagonist of the film. Although Jack O’Connell’s performance is great, we just don’t see that much of him or get any real depth or motivation from his character. He shows up, does dastardly things in a charismatic way throughout the movie & then it ends. No characterization or background, just a monster that comes & goes. Not a major issue, just something I felt was missing.
Overall, this was a fantastic film & by far the best film of the year thus far. The film hit theaters on April 18th, 2025. It originally was scheduled for a March 7th released but was delayed due the extended postproduction process which itself was caused by the scarcity of film stock labs for the project. Eventually, the film swapped release dates with Robert Pattison’s film, “Mickey 17”.