‘Sinners’ is Stunning
Jayme Lawson, Wunmi Mosaku, Michael B. Jordan, Miles Caton, and Li Jun Li in Sinners | Credit: Warner Bros.
Brothers Smoke and Stack (both played by Michael B. Jordan) return to their hometown to start a juke joint, which leads to horrifying events.
This movie rocks! So far in 2025, I’ve been feeling disappointed with the movies that I’ve seen in theaters. With the exception of Black Bag, 2025 has given us a lot of mediocre films. You know the films that are entertaining enough, but aren’t that exciting to talk about.
But Sinners is something special, and you feel that from the very first minutes.
This film is engaging as a vampire film with all of the requisite horror elements. It’s also a layered and thematically rich film that centers Black stories. This is a film that will leave you with a lot to think about and is one that will grow on you as you talk about it with others. And in 2025, this film is incredibly important.
Ryan Coogler has consistently written, directed, and produced great films that not only entertain but also cause you to think deeply about the themes that are always woven throughout. He is skilled at taking a type of film (superhero, the Rocky franchise, and vampires) and making a film that’s so much more. The genre is a vehicle to explore really rich stories and deeper themes.
In the weeks since its release, there have been so many articles and podcasts about Sinners because there’s so much to explore in this film. I’ve already seen it twice, and I feel as though I’ve barely scratched the surface of all that this film has to offer. Sinners is the type of movie that I’ve been waiting for this year—technically impressive, thematically rich, and a really great time in the theater. Sure, this is a vampire film, but it’s also about so much more.
Michael B. Jordan and Miles Caton in Sinners | Credit: Warner Bros.
Sinners beautifully celebrates Black culture and its many forms. It also draws upon history to take us into the Jim Crow era. Formerly enslaved people were free, but they were still trapped in an impossible monetary situation, dependent upon the plantations for payment, but not even getting real legal tender in exchange for their labor.
We see how different people cope with life in the south. Smoke and Stack got away and made their money through some nefarious means, playing off of both the Irish and Italians, escaping with what they could. Annie (Wunmi Mosaku) is spiritual and serves her community with her gifts. She takes the money that they offer her, including plantation money, as long as her conscience remains clear. Cornbread (Omar Benson Miller) is a sharecropper with his wife; they work hard, but never make quite enough. Sammie (Miles Caton) is the son of a preacher and also a great musician, but even he has to work the fields before he can pursue his own interests.
Black folks in the South during prohibition weren’t a monolith. There was a diversity in experiences, opinions, dreams, and goals. We also see how each of them responds to money and how each of them uses the power that they do have differently. These interactions always lead to some interesting moments that expose character moments and their distinct worldviews.
Sinners also steeps us in some really great Blues music. There is so much to love about Sinners, and the music is one of my favorite parts. The film is also clear about the theft and co-opting of Black music and culture that has been perpetuated over the decades by white people. At one point, Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo) says something to the effect of “white people want our music, but not us.” That sentiment is seen so effectively throughout the film.
Sinners is also intentional in reminding us that music doesn’t happen in a vacuum. The Blues was rooted in so many different aspects of Black culture and Black experience. There is a depth to that history that stretches back centuries. Nothing happens in a vacuum, but each type of music, each genre, is built on the ones that have come before.
There’s a really incredible scene where we see, hear, and feel this reality. While Sammie plays, he is able to “pierce the veil” between the past, present, and future. New musical styles are introduced, different types of dancing are seen, and it becomes an otherworldly experience. I’m excited to see Sinners again just to watch this scene alone. That is a breathtaking moment of musicality and direction that is well worth seeing on the big screen with the best sound system available.
Michael B. Jordan and Omar Benson Miller in Sinners | Credit: Warner Bros.
An aspect of Sinners that I really appreciated was Remmick’s (Jack O'Connell) Irish heritage. At one point, after he has turned a number of people—Black and white alike—they begin to sing Rocky Road to Dublin. This is an Irish folk song that has been covered many times throughout the years. I found this so striking because there was a time in the U.S. when the Irish were indentured servants who were mistreated by their masters. But there came a time when the Irish were seen as “white,” and that’s when everything changed.
The choice to make Remmick Irish, I thought, was so smart. Instead of working for the collective liberation of all who had been mistreated and seen as less than, once people are seen as “white,” they will often side with power, instead of risking losing their standing. In this case, Remmick used his vampirism to literally take the lives of these Black men and women, promising them something better that they can create together. But in the end, it’s all really just for his own selfish gain.
That’s one of the beautiful things about this film: it really effectively demonstrates the lies that whiteness tells. And the destruction that always comes with the unending quest for power. Like a vampire, that desire for power is never satiated, no matter how many lives it takes.
Wunmi Mosaku in Sinners | Credit: Warner Bros.
Sinners is a fantastic film on so many levels. It’s a fun vampire thriller about a group of people just trying to survive through the night. The first half of the film focuses on each of the characters, so when things finally go off the rails in the end, we actually care about what happens to them. It’s filled with wonderful music and fantastic performances that you just can’t look away from. On top of all of that, there are many themes to think about.
This is a memorable film. It’s one that you’ll see and want to talk about with friends. And I’m sure it’s a film that will reward additional viewings. I’ve already seen it twice, and I simply can’t wait to watch it again!