Film Review: Sinners

Welcome back to the blog readers. Even though I have liked some of the ones that came out so far in 2025, the horror genre has admittedly gotten off to a slow start this year. This is one of those horror films that have been on my radar all year because I absolutely love Ryan Coogler as a director. I have loved every film he has made. Can he make it 5 for 5 (I did not see Fruitvale Station (2013)) with this film? Stick around to find out.

Sinners was written and directed by Ryan Coogler. The film stars Michael B. Jordan in a dual role along with Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton in his film debut, Jack O'Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Omar Miller, Li Jun Li, and Delroy Lindo. In the film, two twin brothers named Smoke and Stack return to their hometown looking to escape their troubled life, only to find that there is an even greater evil that is waiting to welcome them back.

As you all know, I have a very contested history with horror films and I admittedly hold them under a bigger microscope than other genres. But I have loved every bit of promotional material I saw from this film, and as you know, this was one of my most anticipated films of the year. I also love Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan so you know this had to be a slam dunk. But slam dunk is too broad a word for what I experienced in that theater. This film is a spectacle on different fronts. It is an effective drama, a riveting horror film, and overall it is utterly brilliant. I cannot decide right now between this and Warfare (2025) on what is the better film of the year right now.

I would be remiss if I did not start off this review by giving flowers to lead man Michael B. Jordan for pulling off the Herculean task of portraying twins Smoke and Stack. B. Jordan has been one of my favorite actors since I was introduced to him in FANT4STIC (2015). He gave me favorite performance of 2018 in Black Panther (2018), and has been killing it in every project he has been in. But this film sees him at his absolute pinnacle in my opinion. The two brothers kind of have similar traits to each other, but B. Jordan gives each their own distinctive flare that makes them stand out. I would not be surprised if he got a Best Actor nomination for his roles in this film.

I next want to praise the performance of Hailee Steinfeld as Mary. Steinfeld was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in True Grit (2010), but I was introduced to her in Bumblebee and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (both 2018). And on top of that, she is engaged to the reigning, defending, undisputed MVP of the NFL, Josh Allen. And getting to play around in a sandbox like this is going to do wonders to her career. Her performance in this film is sexy, slick, and everything you want to see in the future Mrs. Josh Allen. I really hope she does more gritty things like this because she can absolutely deliver when the lights are the brightest.

Next up, I want to talk about the music of the film. I do not think I have ever had a musical experience like I had with this film. Everything from the soundtrack by Ludwig Göransson to the curated tracks was absolutely fire. First, in talking about Göransson's score, I want to talk about the blending of sounds that he is meticulously able to craft. There are new ideas, there are callbacks to old ideas, and it just works incredibly well. And then, there is the curated soundtrack. While there are some songs that do not make it in the film like Hailee Steinfeld's "Dangerous," there are songs that make it in that are brilliant. "Rocky Road to Dublin" is a shockingly fun tune that brings some of that Irish charm to the forefront, but the song that absolutely stunned me was Miles Caton's "I Lied to You." Holy hell man, what an experience.

And finally, I need to talk about the overall story, message, and tone of the film. I will talk about them together because I feel like that is the only way I can talk about it. And I say that because this film is an addictive blend of a bunch of different styles and I love it. First off, the first 45 minutes of the film is basically devoid of the vampires and works as an effective drama revolving around the two brothers trying to make a name for themselves after returning home. Then we get to the juke joint, and we see this celebration of black music across all eras and all ages. And nothing gave me more of an ethereal experience than that "I Lied to You" scene. Sonically and visually, this absolutely is one of the best scenes in film I have ever seen. And then the vampires come around and we get a slick horror film which adds some new lore to the vampire genre, and we get a truly emotional story about the unconditional love for family and music.

In conclusion, Sinners is a sexy and hypnotic blend of styles that features a career best performance from Michael B. Jordan and all the things that make for a masterful film. Thank you all for reading, and I will see you for the next post.