Acclaimed director/writer Ryan Coogler has four feature films under his name – Fruitvale Station (2013) told the real life tragic story of Oscar Grant, Creed (2015) was a spin-off from the Rocky franchise, Black Panther (2018) and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) was based on the popular Marvel character.  

His latest film, Sinners, is an original film idea that’s as original as they come.

Set in 1932, the story takes place over one day in Mississippi.  Identical twin brothers Smoke and Stack (played by Michael B Jordan) are returning to their hometown to build a juke bar and have the grand opening that same night. Pressed for time, the twins enlist a group of friends to help the opening night be a success. They recruit Sammie aka Preacher Boy (Miles Caton) to play the guitar, Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo) to play the piano, Cornbread (Omar Benson Miller) to work the door, Grace and Bo (played by Li Jun Li and Yao) to provide food, and Smoke reunites with Annie (Wunmi Mosaku) to help cook.  

Along the way they run into Mary (Haliee Steinfeld) who is Stack’s ex-girlfriend and Preacher Boy meets Pearline  (Jayme Lawson), a beautiful married woman that is also a talented singer. The cast of characters make their way to the juke bar to let loose and have fun for the night.  

While they’re having fun, a stranger named Remmick (Jack O’Connell) and his friends are drawn to the music from the juke bar. The twins are hesitant to let them in because any issue they have may invite the Klan. Soon they realize Remmick and his friends are more sinister and evil than they realize.  

Categorizing Sinners as a horror movie or vampire movie is selling it short. The movie is so much more than that one genre. At its core the film is about music, specifically the blues, and how it can be a powerful tool to build community and connect people from the past, present, and future. Coogler beautifully illustrates this during Preacher Boy’s performance. 

One of the beautiful things Coogler does is not give too much information or exposition about characters or their backgrounds. We learn Smoke and Stack spent time in Chicago with Capone but we’re not told what happened. When the audience is introduced to Remmick, he’s being chased by a Native American tribe that seems to know a lot about Remmick and how he operates. Smoke and Annie have a previous relationship full of love and hurt that’s touched on. Those stories alone could be their own movies. 

Coogler has an uncanny ability to capture black life in America. From Smoke’s trip into the town to see Bo, to the cotton fields, to the scene of the juke bar coming together, Coogler beautifully captures these moments to illustrate what day-to-day life was like.

One of the biggest takeaways from Sinners was how beautiful it is. Form the first frame you see how beautifully shot the film is. Then there’s the fashion, the music, and the amazing score from Ludwig Göransson.

Even with Sinners being a genre bending mix that’s part musical, part western, and part thriller, the horror/vampire elements are very present. The vampire lore is explained and Remmick gives more details about his origins during one of the standoffs at the juke bar. Coogler, a horror fan himself, goes out of his way to make the third act a bloody good time for horror fans.  

Sinners is not just one of the best films of the year, it’s a master class in filmmaking. Coogler hit every mark you would want a blockbuster film to hit. It’s a film that’s as fascinating as it is exhilarating at times. It’s a brief lesson on history wrapped in a wild vampire story. It’s a story about love, community, and loss. It’s a miracle Coogler was able to communicate so much in this film while keeping it wildly entertaining.

Grade: A+