Movie Review: Sinners (2025)

**THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS** 

SINNERS (2025): ☆☆☆☆1/2

Not too sure what took me two months to get around to this one, but FINALLY!! After two ticket refunds and lots of gap time in between from just life getting in the way, the moment had finally arrived and it was well worth the wait! Although I will say that the entire time I was watching it, I couldn't help but think, “M*****f*****, I wish I saw this in IMAX!”

From this absolute menace of a project from Ryan Coogler, comes top-of-the-world acting from every single cast member involved, especially Miles Caton, who played Sammie. I didn't know much about this film going into it, but Sammie's character ends up being the protagonist of this film, which I was really rocking with! Being the center of the film, Sammie represents the heart and soul while summoning the very conflict (vampires) with that beautiful music of his. We follow him all the way to the post-credits, only to find that all he worked for could've been for nothing after two unsettling and familiar faces return. And to a massive surprise, this was Caton's acting debut! This man acted like he was chasing his seventh Oscar, and he sang like he'd been a conditioned pro his entire life.

Michael B. Jordan's Smoke and Stack were both portrayed exceptionally well by the talented man himself. Playing two characters on screen, let alone twins (Nah, they're cousins!), must not be easy. But Jordan delivers an absolute masterclass with his calm, cool, and collected portrayal in Smoke while delivering a more unhinged, ruthless, sinister but charming performance as Stack. Not one time does Jordan confuse you with which character he is portraying at the moment; both of his characters have incredibly unique auras that differentiate the two brothers very distinctively (even when both their hats are off).

Slim was definitely my favorite character! That man brought much joy to my audience. Played by Delroy Lindo, there isn't a whole lot else to say about his character except that I was rolling with him the most up until his heartbreaking demise (gotta give the man credit for acting as a hero, even though his final act accomplished completely nothing). But damn it, did he bring a grin above my chin every time he came on screen.

I will say, that I’m shocked by how little Hailee Steinfeld ended up being in this, they really marketed the hell out of her for the total 10 minutes of screen time she had. But that in no way, shape, or form diminishes how astonishing she was in this movie (and I hope you enjoyed it too, Josh Allen). Steinfeld has a hot streak of starring in massive success on her resume right now, tracking with Bumblebee (2018), Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018), Hawkeye (2021), Arcane (2021-2024), Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023), and many more on her long list of greatness.

Besides the sensational on-screen performances we were given by every actor in this movie, there were so many other elements that went into making this movie as groundbreaking as it was. The score was absolutely REMARKABLE. Composed by Ludwig Goransson (Black Panther, The Mandalorian, Oppenheimer), the score has a variety of sounds from rustic country, blues, rock & roll, and horror. The blend of all of those sounds created such an incredible spectacle for this unique genre.

The set design is also an impressive job done by the crew. The best way to describe this atmosphere is like you're playing a Red Dead Redemption game, completely immersed into the world of cowboys, bandits, and gangsters; until you feel immersed into something like a Resident Evil game when the vampires hit the barn and everyone's ready to throw hands!

This film does not quite land in the #1 spot on my list of 2025 films, but I can definitely see it remaining in the top 5. This movie will be talked about and passed down for generations, and I can see a lot of young filmmakers now creating stories involving bandits and supernatural beings.

Ryan Coogler, you have done it again!