‘Sinners’ Offers Colossal Upgrade to Vampire Genre
Calling “Sinners” a vampire movie is both accurate and misleading.
Yes, the main characters fend off an army of the undead. Director Ryan Coogler’s ’30s-era film offers much more than B-movie fireworks.
It’s smart, sophisticated and sultry, for starters. We meet strongly defined supporting players along with the great Michael B. Jordan in two roles.
“Sinners” has plenty to say about racism, culture, religion and more, but entertainment remains in sharp focus. The year hasn’t offered up much to date, cinematically speaking, but it’s a lock “Sinners” will decorate plenty of Best Films of 2025 lists.
Including this critic’s lineup.
Jordan plays both Smoke and Stack, dapper twins with an eye on a glorious prize. They want to open a juke joint in their Mississippi hometown after spending time on two very different battlefields.
The siblings served their country in World War I and survived Chicago’s gangland culture.
Now, they’re pooling their resources into a musical Mecca to the Blues. They’ve got the booze and a guitar wunderkind named Sammie (Miles Caton in an intriguing screen debut). An abandoned mill offers all the room needed for some foot-stomping fun.
The stars are aligned, and the brothers’ wobbly moral compass means anything goes.
Coogler isn’t interested in a traditional, slow-burn horror outing. He revels in the brothers’ backstory and gives all the key characters time to leave an impression. That means Stack’s old flame Mary (Hailee Steinfeld, “Begin Again”) wants to settle a score with him, or maybe just make up for lost time.
The avuncular Cornbread (Omar Miller) provides the “muscle” and guards the door against unwanted intruders. And then there’s Annie (Wunmi Mosaku), who offers a maternal presence that ties to the film’s heart-wrenching climax.
Meanwhile, a gentleman with a broad grin named Remmick (a chilling Jack O’Connell) threatens the brothers’ vision. Those red eyes are a dead giveaway.
The era’s entrenched bigotry hangs over every scene.
“Sinners” clicks as an exuberant, musically-charged drama about Deep South racism. The characters defy cultural shackles, creating their own rich sense of community in the process. The musical sequences soar, and Coogler expertly splices joyous songs with the story’s increasing tension.
It helps that our heroes live up to the film’s title.
Smoke and Stack aren’t angels. Far from it. They’re still embracing an all-American ethos the only way they know how.
Jordan remains a compelling film anchor, but the choice to have him play both leads proves distracting. Yes, he and the film’s costume designer (Ruth E. Carter, “Black Panther”) create distinct personas for Smoke and Stack. Casting two, equally charismatic leads would bring more dynamism to the story.
Coogler’s vision allows for classic vampire tropes to weave effortlessly into the story. Garlic. Wooden stakes. Holy water. It’s all here, and the sly special effects never lean too hard on CGI wizardry.
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Once the vampire menace appears, the film slips into Horror Mode. Imagine “From Dusk ’til Dawn” without B-movie winks decorating the screen.
Coogler refuses to deploy jump scares or other shopworn tics. His horror elements prove fresh and shocking, embracing genre mandates without feeling constrained.
The film’s setting alone sets this vampire yarn apart from its predecessors. So do the emotional stakes. The vampires promise victims a new life, one free of 20th Century hate. Eternal life has its rewards. So does an existence without bigots haunting your dreams.
“Sinners” wraps with an unnecessary blast of vengeance that comes close to a lecture. And if you’re tempted to leave the theater when the end credits begin … don’t.
HiT or Miss: “Sinners” delivers original vampire thrills with a nuanced tale connecting to our country’s troubled history.
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