Director: Ryan Coogler
Screenplay: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, Jack O’Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Omar Miller, Delroy Lindo
Country: US
Running Time: 137m
Year: 2025
Twin brothers Smoke and Stack are returning home, having sought fortune and glory in the army and then Chicago. They’ve got money, and a strong, feared reputation formed years before. They buy an old sawmill and set up a “juke” and the community gather. The stage is set for a night of food, drink, sex and Blues. But evil lurks close by and wants to join the party.
If that description of Sinners is enough to make you want to see the film, then you should. I saw it without knowing very much about it at all and it was a fabulous experience. There will be unavoidable spoilers in this review.
It’s a lively, bold film, rich in detail and dripping with sweat and atmosphere. The story is strong enough to have worked without the literal barn-storming third act. But that would deny us the most glorious fun since The Lost Boys or From Dusk Til Dawn. Oh okay, yes, it’s vampires that spoil the party, and this review already. We can’t ignore them though. And it’s worth mentioning that they simply exist; there’s no lengthy exposition explaining the rules. You know the rules. These are classic bloodsuckers who would list garlic, stakes through the heart, silver and sunrises as turn-offs.
Shout-out to the superb Jack O’Connell as lead vamp Remmick. A perfectly pitched and subtle performance, his monster is a cheeky Irish charmer (though O’Connell can’t entirely bury that Derby accent) with a penchant for a jig and a bargain. His musical bent gives off strong Devil Went Down To Georgia vibes and I’m here for it. Sinners has an irreverent, well-trod style when it comes to dealing with the vampires, but the premise is steeped in old myths.
That Remmick is an accomplished musician when he makes his late entrance at the sawmill is a delight, but no surprise by that point. In its heart, Sinners is a musical. Oh not that showtune nonsense where hitherto untalented characters lead bizarre flash-mob scenes with no recourse to narrative cohesion. No, Sinners is a musical in its bones. The opening credits are scored with the sound of a guitar being tuned. And when young Sammie (Miles Caton) sings the Blues and plays guitar, the film bends around him. There’s a sense of rhythm like Baby Driver before it, but more subtle. Twenty-year old Caton is a revelation. A viral sensation a few years ago, he’s young but with such an old voice. He learnt to play guitar for the role which is mind-boggling when you see him sliding the strings like he’s been doing it for both of his decades.
I may be lambasted for saying it, but typical musicals annoy me. Scenes build to extravagant set-piece song and dance numbers that the story can’t explain or sustain. Ryan Coogler, however, demonstrates how visual storytelling, karaoke style or not, can be a sliver away from pure music. It lifts his film from being a typical genre piece, or a period drama, into a sophisticated, foot-stomping ethereal experience. One intoxicating scene in particular is sublime, literally forcing the film out of its period cage. The story starts deep in the impoverished black experience on the plantations, but to hell with anyone who thinks those lives will be trapped there. The screams echo down generations and the vampires represent an attack on these people’s spirit of individualism. Outsiders insisting on controlling them. Sinners is a community’s passionate, dignified refusal to conform.
Oh yeah. This is just a horror film, isn’t it? I remember now.
It isn’t perfect. I love the mood which evokes comic books such as Brian Azzarello’s Moonshine or Scott Snyder’s Wytches, but it’s overstuffed. The story has many threads and some suffer. A single throwaway line unpicks why the brothers returned and the truth of their bold plan. It’s lost in the albeit palpable tension which is just reaching the point where everything is about to unspiral. The Klan are involved too, but never feel like a threat. Perhaps that was the point, but it makes for a confused last act. And yet still satisfying.
Some characters are underserved by the clamour of voices. Hailee Steinfeld is fabulous as Mary and I would have liked to have seen her have more time, considering how important she is. Delroy Lindo’s pianoman Delta Slim (like Caton and O’Connell, he too had to learn how to play) makes an impression, but the overall feeling is, we’re missing some of the puzzle pieces. We could easily have a prequel for the twins too.
That there is a bit of a cacophony of material here, just makes Michael B. Jordan’s performance all the more incredible. He is in full control of two characters, identical yet different enough that at no point in the film does it feel contrived. Smoke and Stack are sassy, confident and capable individuals with a hell of a story to tell.
A slight frustration at the story needing a little more room to breathe is nit-picking though. This is important, emboldened filmmaking. The cast and crew lean into the material with enthusiasm and matchless talent. The sum of its many parts is utterly glorious.
There are rumours of a director’s cut which I greatly hope are true. More bitey monsters, more Klan, a bit more breathing room for the backstory? Yes, please. For now, no spoilers, but the ending is great fun. No silly sequel baiting, just a nicely judged coda. Don’t skip the credits.
VIDEO
As with everything else in Sinners, there’s no half-measures in Ryan Coogler’s direction. The cinematography is rich and detailed, with wonderful colours. Everything is bathed in a warm, amber light. There’s even a couple of moments where the ratio shifts to better serve the current mood; pseudo Blues musical drama versus gore filled action.
AUDIO
I’ve spoken a lot about the film’s devotion to the Blues and the audio presentation meets the challenge and then some. Ludwig Göransson’s score is phenomenal. An organic thing worked on before full production, it runs through the veins of the film. The idea that Sinners is a sort-of-musical is served by the staging of the music; players on stage within the film impossibly soar around and through the surround track (Atmos and 5.1 tracks are available). It’s a fantastic experience you might not expect. Of course it goes without saying the horror is powerfully staged, but giving the same attention to the music performances is fantastic.
EXTRA FEATURES
This isn’t a boutique release, so the extra features seem predictable. Behind the scenes, interviews and deleted scenes. They might be puff pieces but do give a fascinating insight, particularly the music and the efforts made by Coogler and Göransson.
The deleted scenes are presented without context. It’s a mixed bag, but the standout is a split diopter shot of Delta Slim playing piano is an utter joy. I can see why it’s not in the film as it’s a bit long, but it’s a treat to have it here.