Sinners Movie Review—Slick horror mixed with Blues and blood

Ryan Coogler’s Sinners is a genre-defying exercise in horror as well as a vivid microcosm of the African-American experience dressed up in Blues and blood.

The celebrated Black Panther director brings to life the tale of twin brothers and World War I veterans Smoke and Stack (both played by a riveting Michael B. Jordan), who arrive in Mississippi from Chicago bearing loads of ill-gotten capital and a mission: to open a Black-owned juke joint in their hometown. But hope and celebration soon turns to horror as opening night brings not just violence but also supernatural dangers in the form of honest-to-goodness vampires baying for blood!

Despite being laden with heavy themes of racism, historical trauma, and systemic violence, Sinners easily carries all of it with Coogler’s signature swagger. The film is gorgeous even as it takes place in a run-down sawmill populated by plantation workers glistening with the day's toil. Every frame is saturated with lurid reds and dingy gold, which makes for evocative imagery and moments when the crimson—and the music—starts to flow.

Music is a big part of what makes Sinners tick. From the soulful solos of Smoke and Stack's cousin Sammie (Miles Caton) to a surprising performance of traditional Irish jig by the vampire Remmick  (performed with gusto by a fun Jack O'Connell), Sinners uses the power of music to transport us to this volatile era and immersing us ever deeper into its message.

There are moments when the message gets muddled as Sinners tries to juggle genre tropes, historical commentary, musical narrative, and the superlative star power of Jordan and the rest of the cast. There are times when I wish I got more of Michael B. Jordan's phenomenal acting in a period piece and yet wanting more of Blade-meets-Assault on Precinct 13. It often feels like three very good films playing all at once, each vying for your attention.

But Sinners is not just a horror film. It's a window into a bygone era that asks us to listen—to the guitars, the voices, the bloodshed, and the violence that happened then and is still happening today. Don’t let a blood-drenched Hailee Steinfeld in a slip distract you from the fact that Sinners has something important to say.