“There are legends of people with the gift of making music so true, it can conjure spirits from the past and the future. This gift can bring fame and fortune. But it can also pierce the veil between life and death.”
When Ryan Coogler burst onto the scene in 2013 with his debut feature “Fruitvale Station,” the filmmaking world soon took notice of one of the most exciting voices to emerge out of the 2010s. He followed this up with 2015’s “Creed,” a continuation of the “Rocky” series where his frequent collaborator Michael B. Jordan plays the title role. But it was not until 2018’s “Black Panther” was released that his films began winning Academy Awards. After a prolonged bidding war where Warner Bros. Pictures came out on top, Coogler set his sights on his next picture. It is an original horror film set during the Jim Crow South, named “Sinners,” and is also the best film yet of 2025.

The plot follows two identical twins named Smoke (played by Michael B. Jordan) and Stack (also played by Michael B. Jordan) who return home to the Mississippi Delta after working for notable Chicago gangster Al Capone. They procure an abandoned saw mill to attempt to turn it into a juke joint for the local black community, and go to hire some talent for their opening night.
For the musicians, they hire their cousin Sammie “Preacher Boy” Moore (played by Miles Caton) on guitar, and Delta Slim (played by Delroy Lindo, star of the 2020 film “Da 5 Bloods”) on piano and harmonica.
Smoke and Stack’s reappearance also attracts some attention from their old flames. Stack’s ex girlfriend, Mary (played by Oscar nominee Hailee Steinfeld, star of the 2010 remake of “True Grit” and 2018’s “Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse”), and Smoke’s estranged wife Annie (played by Wunmi Mosaku, star of 2024’s “Deadpool & Wolverine”), who they ask to be the joint’s cook.
When Sammy starts playing his songs, something magical happens. He can transcend both space and time just through the power of his music, shown off in one of the most impressive and memorable scenes of the last few years. Unfortunately, this attracts some unwanted attention in the form of Remmick (played by Jack O’Connell, star of 2023’s “Ferrari”), an Irish immigrant who is a member of the undead. In order to survive the night, the Juke Joint must band together to fight off this vampiric threat.
The soundtrack and score by Ludwig Göransson are absolutely incredible, blending both blues and folk music to create a propulsive soundscape for the entire film. This may be a controversial opinion, but it is a step up from his Oscar-winning work for the 2024 Best Picture winner “Oppenheimer,” and he should be in contention to win his third Academy Award.
The film is also surprisingly well edited, where even simple conversations are interesting to behold. Sadly, the pacing of the film did wane as the picture went on, but this is only a minor issue.
This is also the first movie ever shot on IMAX 65mm film by a female cinematographer (Autumn Durald Arkapaw, who worked with Coogler on 2022’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”). The grand scale that 65mm is able to provide helps give this picture an immense amount of detail and texture to every single image and frame. Coogler also has a great video explaining the different film formats of “Sinners” that he made in partnership with Kodak, which I also recommend. If you have the ability, see the film in IMAX.
There are also two scenes that take place after the movie concludes. There is a rather lengthy mid credits scene that you will not want to miss, as well as a short post credits scene featuring an extra musical number.
“Sinners” manages to rise above its genre trappings and bring new life to the vampire movie. This is the kind of original film that Hollywood should be making more of, and I highly implore you to go out and see it for yourself. My final rating for “Sinners” is a 9/10.