Sinners (2025)

Dir: Ryan Coogler

Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, Jack O’Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Omar Benson Miller, Buddy Guy, Delroy Lindo, Li Jun Li

Michael B. Jordan stars as bootlegging twin brothers in Ryan Coogler’s toe-tapping supernatural tale that boasts plenty of substance beneath its stunning blood-soaked visuals for audiences to sink their teeth into

With major Hollywood franchises continuing to dominate the global box-office, the industry continues its arduous search for fresh talent to bring original and ground-breaking ideas to the big screen. One genre that has benefitted from often providing creative freedom to its filmmakers is horror, which has seen the rise of now well established, and acclaimed filmmakers Jordan Peele, Ari Aster and Robert Eggers. Peele in particular has gone onto have a major impact on the industry, not just as a director, but as a producer, having helped finance other impactful genre movies in recent years, proving to be an influential advocate for the genre, using it as a platform to depict the African-American experience.

Another acclaimed filmmaker over the past decade who has made waves in African-American cinema is Ryan Coogler, who despite only being 38-years-old, has already managed to produce a number of culturally significant feature films that have helped shape modern cinema when it comes to its portrayal of African-American protagonists. Coogler’s debut feature “Fruitvale Station” (2013) sent shockwaves through the industry following its disturbingly real depiction of the final hours of Oscar Grant, a young black man who was tragically killed by the authorities in Coogler’s hometown of Oakland in 2009.

The film’s critical and financial success saw Coogler’s stock rise significantly, resulting in him writing and directing “Creed” (2015), the excellent revival of the beloved “Rocky” franchise, and “Black Panther” (2018), which still remains the only superhero film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. While Coogler’s work has been widely praised, the clearly talented filmmaker had never had the opportunity to create an original story of his own – until now. “Sinners” is the first film written, produced and directed by Coogler to not be based on existing IP, and despite us only being a few months into the year, I can confidently say that this incredibly ambitious, though-provoking blend of horror and blues musical, will go down as one of the most admired and memorable films of 2025.

Having been limited by pre-existing characters and the outside influence of studio executives in the past, Coogler is finally able to truly spread his wings with this gothic horror, and we are finally able to see what the talented filmmaker can cook up. “Sinners” sees Coogler collaborate once again with Adonis Creed himself, Michael B. Jordan, having worked with the actor on all four of his previous feature films. For those who are fans of Jordan’s work, you will be happy to know you are in for a treat, as there are two Michael B. Jordans in “Sinners”, in what is the latest of a number of dual roles we have already seen in 2025. Following in the footsteps of Theo James in “The Monkey”, and Robert Pattinson in “Mickey 17”, Jordan portrays, “Smoke” and “Stack”, the notorious identical twin brothers who have returned to the Mississippi Delta having both served in World War I, as well as working for Al Capone in Chicago. Using money and liquor they have stole from gangsters further north, the brothers purchase an abandoned saw mill to start a Juke Joint for the local black community.

To ensure the festivities go off without a hitch, the twins recruit staff to help set up shop for the night, including drunk pianist Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo), Smoke’s estranged wife and occultist Annie (Wunmi Mosaku), delta-Chinese shopkeepers Bo (Yao) and Grace (Li Jun Li), and fieldworker Cornbread (Omar Benson Miller). The twins also acquire the services of their younger cousin Sammie (Miles Caton), an aspiring guitarist whose pastor father warns that his powerful music possesses the power to attract a great evil.

At the joint, Sammie’s music enchants the large crowd of African-American patrons, including Stack’s ex-girlfriend Mary (Hailee Steinfeld) who passes as white, and local singer Pearline, Sammie’s own love interest. However, the power of Sammie’s music attracts the attention of Irish vampire Remmick (Jack O’Connell), who wishes to convert all of those within the juke joint, in a bid to reconnect with his own lost community.

Being a fan of Coogler’s previous works and having seen the universal acclaim the film has received by the community, I found myself going into my Easter weekend screening of “Sinners” with incredibly high expectations, which has often in the past led to disappointment. However, I can safely say that what Coogler has managed to produce here is my favourite film of 2025 to date, and I cannot see many things shifting it from that top spot over the coming months. Coogler’s ambition and vision in creating this genre hybrid is something I would expect from a seasoned genre-filmmaker, for this to be his first foray into original storytelling is nothing short of remarkable, and it is great to see that his efforts are not going unnoticed by critics and audiences alike. “Sinners” has received the strongest audience poll for a horror film in 35 years, surpassing the result of even Jordan Peele’s works, and it also has managed to surprise cinematic juggernaut “A Minecraft Movie”, by taking its spot atop the US box-office.

It is important that audiences continue to seek out original movies, otherwise we will soon find the industry even more saturated with sequels, remakes and big screen adaptations of pre-existing properties, which would prevent films like this from ever being made. Some may reference previous works that may have influenced Coogler’s latest film, which has inevitably been compared to Robert Rodriguez‘ 1995 action-horror “From Dusk till Dawn”. Like “Sinners”, the cult 90’s flick also follows two brothers with criminal ties as they fend off an army of vampires inside a bar environment, but despite these glaring similarities narratively, the two films could not be further removed in terms of what they are trying to say. Despite the rip-roaring entertainment it provides, “From Dusk till Dawn” remains pretty surface level, solely serving as a reminder of the old -school, grindhouse B-movies from the 1970’s. “Sinners” on the other hand explores a number of thematically rich topics, its most notable being that of African-American oppression, and how those who worked tirelessly on white-owned plantations strived for freedom. This is not only depicted through the social freedom the many black patrons experience during their one night in our protagonist’s juke joint, but also creative freedom through the use of Sammie’s transcendent use of his resonator guitar.

Boasting exceptional blues vocals, and equally impressive acting talent, newcomer Miles Caton takes centre stage in this impressive ensemble, and it is his remarkable interpretation of blues music that serves as the beating heart of “Sinners”. Having been oppressed by his pastor father for years, Sammie seeks an opportunity to express himself through music, which ultimately brings trouble in the form of the blood-sucking Remmick. It is not Sammie’s life that the fanged spirit seeks though, it is his talent. Correlating with many white Americans at the time, Remmick becomes enamoured with the blues, but is not too keen on its African-American origins, seeking to use his supernatural powers to take Sammie’s talents for himself. While there are some words of wisdom spoken by our pale-skinned antagonist, he ultimately is a personification of what all black people feared at the time, being yet another member of a community led by the white man, with no space for creative freedom of their own.

Not for a long time have I seen and heard music used to such effect on film, particularly in an original title, and Coogler’s frequent composer Ludwig Goransson does a sensational job by incorporating his own experiences with blues music into one of the best scores I have heard for a long time. Having done thorough research into blues artists at the time, particularly the works of Robert Johnson and Tommy Johnson, Goransson approached the project with the upmost care to ensure he communicated the movie’s motifs surrounding the history of music in a respectful but daring way. Goransson’s latest collaboration with Coogler may be the Oscar-winning composer’s best work to date, with each musical set piece proving to be more toe-tappingly memorable than the last.

Not only does “Sinners” have plenty to say, it also serves as riotous gothic horror romp, packed with bloody kills, dazzling musical sequences, emotional character dynamics and instantly iconic imagery, all weaved together thanks to Coogler’s masterful visual storytelling. The Oakland native’s vision is realised further thanks to some impressive costume and set design, transporting the audience to the racially turbulent 1930’s Mississippi delta, not to mention Autumn Durald Arkapaw‘s breath-taking cinematography.

Then there are the performances, and while I found Caton to be the standout in a mesmerising debut role, the whole ensemble does an excellent job of keeping you invested in the wide range of characters all the way up to the film’s blood-soaked finale.

Verdict:

Having seen it twice already in its first week of release, I cannot recommend Ryan Coogler’s blues-infused, gothic horror hybrid enough as it only reminds me, as a film lover, of the beauty and excitement that only original cinema can offer. Whether you are a fan of horror or not there is plenty for you to sink your teeth into in what may be one of the most talked about films of the year for years to come.

Sinners is now showing in UK Cinemas

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