Film Review: Sinners

5 Stars

By Joseph Beyer | April 26, 2025

Writer and director Ryan Coogler is one of the more unlikely success stories there has ever been in film. And with his latest genuinely epic opus Sinners, he has, at age 38, already conquered the box office while staying wonderfully true to his unique style and voice.

This career started with his heartbreaking drama Fruitvale Station in 2013, an independent drama that retold the murder of Oscar Grant by the transit authority police. The film starred Michael B. Jordan in one of his first big roles, and the two have been tight collaborators ever since.

Then came Creed, a story that reinvented the Rocky franchise by introducing its first African American perspective. For only his third film, Coogler was given the reins of Black Panther for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and then followed it up with Wakanda Forever. To say Coogler’s films have been kicking ass is an understatement.

So in 2024, he pitched all the Hollywood studios at once to let him have complete creative control of Sinners, his first original project at a cost of $150 million, with a copyright that reverts back to him. Warner Bros. said yes and has now been rewarded with the makings of a mega critical hit.

Set in the Mississippi of the 1930s, Sinners is a great migration story that extends beyond the boundaries of the Deep South. It’s also a story of the essence of Blues, or even music itself. And finally, it’s an almost classic vampire film that creates a perfect showdown for good vs. evil.

If you love smart, edgy psychological horror films, you will love Sinners. If you love smart, edgy adult films with substance, you will love Sinners. If you want to be transported into a visual world you’ve never seen before on screen, you will love Sinners. And yes, if you love gazing at the undeniable beauty of Michael B. Jordan, in Sinners (and thanks to movie magic), there are even two of him.

Using a storytelling style that is part psychedelic and always spiritually deep, Coogler and his impressive cast of performances (including Blues legend Buddy Guy) will take you on an expansive journey over 2 hours and 17 minutes, and I don’t think it’s one you will forget.

Jordan plays both sides of a set of twin brothers who come back to set up a juke joint and make their fortune by any means necessary. It’s a purely magical combination that seems effortless. In one performance, he is “Smoke” and in the other he’s “Stack” and I won’t spoil any more of the fun.

Veteran actor Delroy Lindo and newcomer Miles Canton are standouts also on opposite sides of the spectrum: Lindo as Delta Slim, the aging Bluesman who’s seen it all, and Canton as Sammie, the young preacher’s kid who aches to play his music. They are both riveting.

So too is the cinematography from Autumn Durald Arkapaw, who collaborated with Coogler on Wakanda Forever before going even bigger here: shooting 65mm simultaneously in both digital IMAX and celluloid Ultra Panavision 70 formats and then blending them together. Her moody visual intuition and keen eye for details will grab you from the opening sequence.

Music is so entirely interwoven to Sinners that it could almost be another character. And if you stay all the way through the very last frame of the credits, you will be rewarded with the best post-film stingers I’ve ever experienced.

Rated R for strong violence, sexual content, and adult language. Sinners is currently playing in theatres and expected to be available on-demand starting in May.