Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, Jack O’Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Omar Miller and Delroy Lindo
Director: Ryan Coogler
Platform: In cinemas from 18 April 2025
Rating out of 5:★★★1/2
Ryan Coogler’s Sinners presents a daring, disquieting, and at times thrilling blend of
horror, history, and hymn. It’s intentionally messy, prioritising a bold exploration of
Black identity and ancestral memory within the gritty, blood-soaked aesthetic of a
Southern Gothic tale.
Set in 1930s Mississippi, the story centres on twin brothers Smoke and Stack, both
portrayed with depth by Michael B. Jordan, who come back home after years apart to
establish a juke joint.
But something feels off.
thoughtful than sensational. Image: IMDB
The land has a memory. The atmosphere is heavy with spiritual tension. Before long,
the brothers come to understand that they are not merely engaging with ghosts of the
past; they’re being hunted by them.
Sinners embraces a supernatural element, yet Coogler presents it in a way that’s more
thoughtful than sensational. These characters don’t fit the traditional vampire mould,
although the film does playfully engage with that metaphor. Instead, the horror feels
rooted in ancestral and systemic struggles, monsters that thrive not on blood, but on
Black pain, culture, and resilience of the Black experience. The real terror stems from
what has been hidden and what stubbornly rises to the surface.
What I truly appreciate is how the film masterfully balances genre with intention.
Coogler’s direction shines with confidence and artistry; he immerses us in shadow,
texture, music, and myth. Ludwig Göransson’s score hums with blues and spirituals,
weaving through the film like a warning. The cinematography portrays the Deep
South in a captivating mix of beauty and decay, where the camera thoughtfully
captures sweat, dust, and ritual.
Michael B. Jordan’s dual performance stands as the heart of the film. He brings a
simmering intensity to Smoke and a charming weariness to Stack, two men fractured
not only by time but by the weight of their heritage. Wunmi Mosaku and Delroy
Lindo deliver heartfelt support alongside the rest of the ensemble.
If there’s a flaw, it’s that Sinners might occasionally gets lost in its own symbolism. A
subplot involving religious betrayal doesn’t land as sharply as it could, and some
moments strain under the weight, but those are stumbles in a film that dares to swing wide.
Coogler has made a very good film, maybe even an important one. Sinners doesn’t
preach, but it evokes. It takes Black history, its traumas, rhythms, and ghosts and
throws them back in our face through the lens of genre, creating something that feels
both ancient and defiantly new.
It’s not quite horror, not quite musical, not quite sermon, but it is cinema and that’s
more than enough.
