Rating of
3.5/4
Sinfully Evocative and Entertaining
Chris Kavan - wrote on 07/21/25
While Sinners may be billed as horror - and it does have some great vampire action in it - I think that is entirely secondary to an amazing film that have some outstanding cinematography and delivers a sonic bombshell that is undeniably electric. Michael B. Jordan is perfect as the double role of Smoke/Stack while newcomer Miles Caton is likewise a knockout as Preacher Boy aka Sammie Moore. Hailee Steinfeld, Wunmi Mosaku, Jack O'Connell, Delroy Lingo and, in an excellent bit of post-credit casting, Buddy Guy, deliver as well. The music though, the music - delivered Ludwig Göransson - is simply outstanding.
One of the best scenes I can recall in recent memory has Sammie playing in the just-opened juke joint our twins have supplied and, as the opening narrative has told us, bring together past and present for one shining moment. We get to see a Jimi Hendrix-like performer, a DJ on a turntable and an ancestral African drummers as the in amongst the crowd of dancers we see breakdancing, ballet and even a Chinese opera - and it's so smooth and remarkable how this shot is done, ending in a literal burning down of the house, so to speak. But aside from this, Jack O'Connell, playing our resident Irish vampire Remmick, even gets a scene of a traditional Irish folk song and dancing - one of the main reasons he took on the role. And that ending - powerful to say the least.
Ryan Coogler from Creed to Black Panther has proven he is among the best modern directors and Sinners is another big win in my book. Get some history, get some blues, get some blood - it's all here and it will leave a powerful impression.
