Acclaimed director Ryan Coogler is back with an original horror film, Sinners (2025) starring Michael B. Jordan as twins battling vampires.
Premise: Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers Smoke and Stack (Jordan) return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.
What Worked:
- The cast: This is a stacked ensemble. Jordan is obviously the (dual) lead, but he’s surrounded by top tier talent that is both well known (Delroy Lindo, Hailee Steinfeld, Skins‘ Jack O’Connell) and on the rise (Lovecraft Country & In The Flesh‘s Wunmi Mosaku, newcomer Miles Caton – the film’s break-out)
- The period accuracy: From the costumes (done by Oscar winner Ruth E. Carter) to the art and production design, the film is a technical feast. There are plenty of horrors in this Jim Crow-era setting, but there’s also a great deal of beauty.
- The long takes: Coogler has a keen eye for visuals so the movie looks amazing. There are a couple of sequences, however, that transcend the rest of the material, including several long takes that help to establish the setting/world of the film. One key moment incorporates the past, present and future of blues as the camera weaves through a crowd of dancers, closing on the stunning visual of the roof and walls of the juke joint burning. It’s the embodiment of the film’s thesis and acts perfectly as a transitional beat before the action really heats up.
- The music: The film is first and foremost a consideration of Black freedom and the damages of Jim Crow racism, but it relies extensively on the historical importance of Blues music and juke joints (as both a source of celebration and also a reprieve from the horrors of slavery). Coogler’s enthusiasm use of music is an impressive and undeniable contributor to the film’s success.
- See also: the accompanying vampire dance, which was unexpected and incredibly evocative. Kudos to O’Connell for helping to really sell this moment.
- The jump scares: Early in the film – when the vampires are still being teased – there are a couple of dynamite jump scares, including an early one where a character suddenly and explosively leaps out of frame before smash cutting to another scene. It’s highly effective!
- The “adult” content: These characters are unapologetically horny and profane and it is SO. WELCOME (especially in a vampire film!)
- Sidebar: hearing Steinfeld cuss and say dirty shit is fantastic. More please.
What’s mixed:
- The slow build-up: For some folks, the film’s greatest asset will be its very deliberate pacing. For others, the anticipation may feel interminable. Coogler’s screenplay lays the groundwork for both spiritualism, as well as its vampire threat, but the film’s primary focus in its first hour is introducing and fleshing out its human cast, their back stories and their relationships. Some audiences will undoubtedly get antsy waiting for the vampire action.
- Jordan’s doubling: There’s some wonky digital FX during the twins’ introductory scene as Jordan passes a cigarette back and forth to himself (it’s not wholly convincing). The twins wear colour coded with red and blue caps and do have different personalities, but Jordan’s performance isn’t always as distinct as it needs to be.
- The score: Ludwig Göransson‘s score is used extensively in several early scenes, but at times it is overwhelming and intrusive (ie: the sequence when Sami and Stack are driving in the car).
What Doesn’t Work:
- The opening: It may just be a personal preference, but there’s absolutely nothing gained by opening the movie in media res and then flashing back 24 hours. It also robs the climax of all of its tension.
- A dumb character beat: The climax is predicated on a character making a very stupid and frustrating decision and, while the circumstances are understandably dire, it still feels like a narrative contrivance to make something happen.
- The climax: Perhaps it’s just Coogler’s priorities, but the final battle feels very rushed. Without spoiling anything (check out the forthcoming Horror Queers Patreon episode for details), it could be considered slightly subversive, but after so much build-up, there’s something anticlimactic about how fast everything occurs.
Final Verdict: 4/5
Sinners is in theaters April 18
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