Sinners (2025) - Film Review

Directed by Ryan Coogler

Certificate: 15

In Cinemas Now

I must confess that I was on the fence about seeing Sinners for a while. Not because everyone I know was raving about it, but because as soon as I hear the word "horror", I turn into a massive wimp. However, when a trusted friend insisted that IMAX is the best way to experience this film, I had to act before the only screen in my city made way for Thunderbolts*, and I'm glad that I did.

Sinners is an incredibly layered and culturally rich film that explores not only the history of African Americans and the spiritual legacy of the Blues, but also the unique roles played by early Asian immigrants, a dialogue of similarities with the Irish, and more. Being a white Englishman, I've found it enlightening to watch interviews and other audience reactions where even the smallest details are expanded on, showing all of the thought in recreating this world. However, this film isn't a history lesson and I would be a terrible teacher on this subject, so I digress.

Sinners is a film of two halves - the first being more of a period drama about Smoke and Stack (both played by Michael B. Jordan), two former Chicago gangsters returning home to Mississippi and reconnecting with the townsfolk, rekindling past flames and hinting at traumas alike. Their goal is to open a juke joint and have one hell of a party - to feel free in a world that oppressed them, scored by the ethereal blues. As these characters reconnect and you get to know about not just their own complicated histories but the broader generational pain that continue to ripple into the present, that's where the real strength of the film is - when tragic memories become an improvised song played in the back of a car driving through corn fields, that's the heart of the film. Building that heart becomes crucial so we can feel the pain when it's ripped it out in the second half, where warnings about the blues become more than just thematic dressing.

While that first half is where Sinners excels, the second is where it falters. After a set-up so full of character, the pay off feels disappointingly by the numbers falling back on ol' reliable genre formulae. To the credit of Sinners though, it still plays those familiar tunes very well, but I felt that it lost a fair amount of that unique touch that the first half had.

With Michael B. Jordan playing the two lead characters in this film, you might think that he was the standout performer - but that accolade belongs to Miles Caton, a young musician making his acting debut as the son of a pastor drawn to the blues. Caton brings an innocence and emotional honesty that stands next to even Hollywood heavyweights like Jordan, and I hope to see him in movies again.

On Michael B. Jordan, two characters has become a common occurrence lately - from Tom Hardy as the Cray twins in Legend, Oscar Isaac playing split personalities in Moon Knight, and even Jim Carey blessing the world with two Robotniks in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. However, I found Michael B. Jordan’s attempt to fall short - when they weren’t wearing their different colours like Mario and Luigi, I’d often lose track of which was which. Jordan is a great actor in this film, but more could have been done to make Smoke and Stack more distinct.

Where Sinners really excels is in its craft. The soundtrack is utterly transcendent, and in the days since watching, I've had it on loop in the background, which is such an experience in itself that it was often a struggle to stay focused on work! I'm not sure where the line of eligibility will be drawn given the number of folk songs present, but Sinners absolutely deserves to be considered a frontrunner for the major awards, either for Original Score or Original Song. Ludwig Göransson just doesn't miss. Even outside of the score, the general sound design deserves major props, such as the juxtaposition in one scene of a cheat having the shit kicked out of him and the enthusiastic pounding of feet on the dance floor. Those period costumes are impeccable too.

For anyone like me who was being a wimp due to it being billed as a horror movie: it’s fine. The film has horror elements, but to call it a “horror film” feels like it does the film a disservice. There’s a few quick jump scares, brief flashes of brutal violence, and gnarly looking prosthetics work, but the film never lingers on these things. 

Overall, Sinners is a very good film, and even when it dips into reliable formulas, it does it well. I just feel that the way the film has been marketed - by industry and audience word of mouth - misaligned my expectations.

Finally, Delta Slim is a real cool dude and the real MVP.

Sinners is released by Warner Bros. and is in cinemas now.

★★★★