Director and screenwriter Ryan Coogler has built a prosperous place for himself in filmmaking receiving both critical praise, like for "Fruitvale Station" (2013), and big commercial success, like for "Black Panther" (2018). His newest film is "Sinners," a blend of so many genres and so many feelings it left my head spinning. After this film ended, I walked out of the theater with many mixed emotions. I still have these mixed emotions as I compose this review.
Set in the 1930s Depression era of the South, Michael B. Jordan ("Creed III," 2023) plays two identical twin brothers who return to their small hometown together after years of the criminal gangster life in Chicago. With their collected cash, the brothers buy an empty saw mill to turn it into a dance hall/nightclub which the locals call a juke joint. In a setting of dirt roads, cotton fields, denim overalls, and whiskey bottles, the cinematography and editing deftly capture the authenticity of this time and place.
The first half of "Sinners" is a traditional period drama as the twin brothers split up during the day to recruit some locals (and some old lovers) to work at the juke joint on its opening night. (They hire musicians, a bouncer, some bartenders, and a cook all of which have a prior relationship with one or both of the twins.) But when night arrives in the second half of the film, it takes the most unexpected turn into left field when the juke joint is attacked by white hillbillies who are also vampires. So the latter half remains a period drama but also transforms into a violent horror story when the Black entrepreneurs fight to defend their business, and their lives, with guns, wooden stakes, and fire.
"Sinners" is like "The Color Purple" (1985/2023) meets From "Dusk Till Dawn" (1996) combining two distinct genres most movie lovers have seen little of. For other period supernatural horror films, I could only think of "Sleepy Hollow" (1999), "Ravenous" (1999), and "The Witch" (2015). But even those films only feature a cast of white actors, making "Sinners" an even rarer cinema experience. The contrast of genres and the variation of ideas is huge in this film which is why it's so boldly unique.
Ryan Coogler said in an interview, "I wanted the movie to feel like a full meal." But after I watched this, I felt I had been force fed after completing a seven-course feast. "Sinners" is A LOT. It has violence, murder, sex, music, romance, and symbolism all turned up to the loudest level. The symbolism is easy but also thoughtfully layered. Yes, the vampires represent the destructive evil of racism that has drained the blood of the South for decades. But the vampires can also represent white populations who absorb parts of Black American culture for their own selfish fulfillment and then exploit parts of that culture until nothing is left. (Bleeding them dry so to speak.) The vampires can also be an allegory of a Black community that is infiltrated by evil forces and then turns on itself, resulting in generations of suffering.
It's easy to tell from my words how much I appreciate the film, because it offers many different ideas and moments for people to interpret. The mechanics of film, like its timing of introducing characters and its capricious pacing, left me feeling partially confused. So many scenes try to express deep histories of emotion between characters, but the scenes often feel rushed to fit the two hour 17 minute run time. This rushed feeling also makes the actors performances feel less established or less "lived-in".
"Sinners" is also a musical featuring different styles of song and dance, and this adds even more creative territory for audiences to explore. One particular musical number is a feverish explosion of various categories, from the future and the past, showing how Black musicians from the Mississippi Delta created a ripple effect of inspiration from jazz to hip hop. A number of film critics are calling "Sinners" the best film of 2025 and a visionary triumph. I wouldn't go that far. "Sinners" is the director/screenwriter's love letter to familial grief and the history of blues music. I think this film is okay. Commendable for its creative kaleidoscope of ideas, but I wish more wrinkles in its storytelling structure were ironed out or given more time.
