Sinners Review
Ryan Coogler is no stranger when it comes to directing, proving himself time and time again as a maestro of the field. The Creed and Black Panther director has been able to deliver such powerful stories, whether they be about living up to expectations or personal experiences rooted in Black culture. However, with Sinners, it genuinely feels like Coogler has surpassed himself, truly elevating his skillset to a higher level. It has everything you want from a vampiric horror film while infusing its own unique twists on human connection, blacksploitation, and inequality.
Sinners takes place in 1930s Mississippi, following “Preacher Boy” Sammie Moore (Miles Caton) hoping to find an escape from his religious reality. Luckily, twin brothers Smoke and Stack (Michael B. Jordan) have returned from Chicago and take him in, along with a few others, to get their juke joint off and running. However, when the brothers and the partygoers find themselves at the hands of a couple of vampires, everything begins to go wrong.
Instead of being dropped into a specific scene, Coogler builds suspense from the ground up, beginning with a narration of the mystical connection we have with music. While it can feel expository in the moment, it creates enough intrigue through its visual presentation, brought to life with some nice cultural artwork. Coogler is right in saying, through this scene, that music can connect us to the past and future, influencing how we perceive emotions over time. With a direct connection into the actual opening scene, this sequence does a great job establishing an important element.
When Sinners finally gets moving, it gets things moving at a steady pace, which works in this film’s favor. Michael B. Jordan and Hailee Steinfeld have an undeniable chemistry that really charms you. Despite their characters’ fractured family past, both Jordan and Steinfeld give their respective characters this depth that really enforces Coogler’s idea of injustice and exploitation. The brothers tried to make an escape, but in the end, they want to take advantage of what they can and Jordan’s dual performances confidently differentiate both. This especially feels so when the film kicks the action into gear, emphasizing this idea of cultural replacement through this vampiric threat wonderfully.
While some may view this as a Michael B. Jordan-led piece, Miles Caton puts his all into playing the once-naivë Sammie. As he slowly gets influenced by all of these alluring factors, from the brothers to his potential girlfriend Pearline (Jayme Lawson), Caton’s performance assures that Sammie never feels one-dimensional. In fact, don’t underestimate what he does and you have an amazing underdog story.
Coogler also allows each supporting character to be fleshed out naturally, especially in Delta Sim (Delroy Lindo) and Annie’s (Wunmi Mosaku) case. Most of the supporting characters never feel wasted, instead having their motivations utilized to define the crossed relationships of the twins and their friends. However, if you’re expecting this to be a feel-good story where everyone lives, you’ll have to think again.
Aside from its narrative, Sinners might have some of the most beautiful cinematography put to screen. With Coogler’s direction, Autumn Durald Arkapaw’s camerawork, and Michael P. Shawver’s editing, every sequence either has this magical and musical ecstasy or brash, fiery pain that intensifies what’s shown. There’s one specific sequence in the second act that’s absolutely stunning, capturing the essence of that connection with the spiritual bliss of blues music while flawlessly keeping you hooked. It also really proves that an IMAX viewing is the choice when seeing this movie.
It also goes without saying how Ludwig Göransson’s soundtrack is filled with bangers. Göransson confidently meshes Southern country instrumentals with a hauntingly noir orchestra to pull you into a scene. Combining his soundtrack with the distinct visuals makes for a euphoric experience you can’t get out of your head.
Sinners will keep you mesmerized thanks to Ryan Coogler’s superb and intimate writing, charming performances from Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, and Ludwig Göransson’s beautiful soundtrack. If anything should be said about this film, it’s that Coogler should absolutely get the chance to build out his own cinematic universe and Sinners already laid the groundwork in doing so.
Sinners premieres in theaters April 18.
Rating: ★★★★½
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Christopher Gallardo is a freelance entertainment writer and critic. While not running The Reel Roller, Chris can be found writing reviews and breakdowns on all things films and TV. Outside of entertainment writing, he’s currently taking classes for a Bachelor’s of Science with a minor in Digital Media & Journalism. Plus, he loves Percy Jackson, animated films and shows, and Fallout! Follow Christopher on Instagram & X.