Sinners

Ryan Coogler's SINNERS is a rarity. An original, adult drama that morphs into perfect & relentless vampire horror. The last half is packed with Avengers-style thrills, but this is no kids movie.

Sex, violence, gore and music pour out of every frame of Coogler's creation.

I don't remember a non-musical in which music played such a huge role. It's sexy, seductive, fun and terrifying. With both his writing & direction, Coogler has conjured up a mystical blend of Walter Hill's 1986 film "Crossroads" and Stephen King's "Salem's Lot" that works on every level.

NO SPOILERS here. This film demands to be seen with unknowing eyes.

Michael B. Jordan stars in a dual role as twin brothers Smoke and Stack, returning to their tiny home town in 1930's Mississippi. They're flush with cash from their recent years in Chicago, wearing the finest clothes and driving a flashy car. As they arrive, it's clear that the citizens either love them or fear them, but the respect for them is universal.

The first hour of the film pulls you deep into the Jim Crow era south, unflinching in its portrayal of the everyday, casual racism of the era. The Smoke/Stack Brothers have come back to town to open a juke joint for their community. They're committed to opening their joint the same day that they buy on old saw mill, spreading the word to the town.

The citizens are packed with memorable and wholly original characters that Coogler crafts with humor and care.

Newcomer Miles Caton stars as Preacher Boy Sammie Moore, the son of the local pastor whose gifted with a rare musical talent. His guitar rarely leaves his side. When he sings and plays, it touches spirits of every kind. He's also the young cousin of Smoke & Stack. They're bringing him to perform opening night, much to the consternation of his father.

Delroy Lindo (Malcolm X, Get Shorty) is perfect as Delta Slim, a local piano playing blues legend chasing his next drink. Lindo is fantastic throughout, it's one of his best performances in a career loaded with superb work. I hope he gets remembered for Best Supporting Actor come Oscar season.

Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit, Hawkeye) is very good as Mary, a local woman whose past with one of the brothers echoes throughout. Steinfeld is excellent, delivering a many layered performance that will keep you guessing.

Jayme Lawson (The Batman) blows the doors off the joint as Pearline. When she takes the stage and belts out "Pale, Pale Moon", she serves up a crescendo that builds and builds to a stomping, frenzied explosion of energy that rocked the IMAX theater and last night's crowd.

Omar Benson Miller is terrific as Cornbread, the joint's doorman and Li Jun Li (Babylon)is powerful as Grace Chow, who owns the town's store and also serves up a hell of a drink at the joint.

I could go on and on about this cast and the townspeople they play, but you need to meet them yourself. Discovery is a huge part of the journey here.

When evil comes a calling via Remmick, a vampire with glowing red eyes and a voracious thirst for blood, his terror envelopes all the characters that Coogler has so carefully crafted for more than half the film. Coogler treats the vampire threat like Spielberg did the Great White in "Jaws" you barely see it until the halfway point of the film and then fasten your seatbelt, here we go.

Jack O'Connell (Unbroken) plays Remmick like a seductive Irish neighbor with a very dark side.

Composer Ludwig Goransson's score is a brilliant action score haunted with the blues and bloody harmonica licks that sink deep. It's ever present, pulling you gently into the muddy swamps.

When the terror kicks in, it doesn't stop.

Coogler created both "Black Panther" films for Marvel and he's an expert at crafting fast and large scale action that knocks you out. Freed from the need to keep it PG-13, the bullets and blood fly and the fangs sink deep.

Several of the huge action scenes leave you on the edge of your seat and surprise you with their fast pivots and unexpected deaths.

Michael B. Jordan is fantastic. He's starred in every film that Coogler's made to date. From their debut together with "Fruitvale Station" in 2013, through "Creed" and both "Black Panther" films, Jordan & Coogler have forged a powerful creative bond. Jordan is terrific in both roles and I can't even begin to understand the CGI wizardry that allows them to interact like they do here, onscreen together for most of the film.

With SINNERS, Coogler has managed to create a true original. I've never seen anything quite like it. It's portrayal of the 1930's South cuts deep. You feel the pain of these characters long before any vampires descend.

Coogler is at his best visually, especially during some of the musical performances at the joint, as the influence of these original blues artists conjure up the musical genres that they will create throughout decades in the future. His nods to the past are just as powerful.

He's created an entire world in the film that's just as powerful as the world he created for Wakanda, but the consequences here are more deeply rooted in sex, blood, lust and power.

SINNERS is the best film of 2025 so far, whipsawing you through drama and horror to an A+. See it on the biggest screen you can find, it was born to be seen in IMAX.

Stay tuned for a long and powerful mid-credits sequence and past all the credits for a softer but perfect coda.