The winning combination of Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coogler remains undefeated with Sinners, the best film of 2025 by a wide margin.
Sinners Overview
The setup of Sinners is simple, but the storytelling by Coogler (his best film) constantly adds layers to these characters. Jordan has the difficult task of playing identical twins, Smoke and Stack. The brothers return to their hometown in the Mississippi Delta from Chicago in 1932 to open a music venue.
The performances by all the characters are great. However, the most powerful character in the film is music. Ludwig Göransson‘s guitar chugging score gives every scene a boost. Coogler’s thoughtful use of the blues coming out of Sammie Moore (Miles Caton), Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo) and others that somehow crosses time and entrances even the soulless. Caton is a revelation as Sammie. His voice, whether singing or talking, is mesmerizing.
Coogler shines at slowly indoctrinating you into this world. Jordan, in his best role to date, is a significant reason why this film never goes off the rails. As Smoke, Jordan portrays a hardened man who doesn’t suffer fools and has a ruthless approach to business. Jordan portrays Stack with a free-flowing, charismatic nature that in some ways has a Jamie Foxx-like swagger. These differences are even more pronounced when they meet the women from their pasts.
Smoke reconnects with Annie (Wunmi Mosaku). There is dialogue between them, but Mosaku and Jordan revel in the quiet moments. Stack and Mary’s reunion (Hailee Steinfeld) is more volatile. They begin trading barbs with each other at a fast clip more reminiscent of Tarantino or Sorkin dialogue.
The transition into supernatural horror when Remmick (Jack O’Connell), the lead vampire, appears on screen works because of Sinners‘ musical spirit. O’Connell is terrifying yet charismatic as a vampire seeking to expand his family’s hive mind. Remmick has set his sights on Smoke and Stack’s music venue to add to his clan (yes, there is a clan member in Remmick’s coven of vampires).
For a film with so much emotion, fright and musical soul, Sinners is also a hilarious, sexy film. The flirtations in the film are constant. Characters bouncing off one another, both physically and verbally, is entertaining. The comedy in Sinners is also quite prominent. I laughed out loud multiple times at sight gags and brilliant line deliveries.
My only issue with Sinners is that there’s a group of Native Americans hunting Remmick, which is an intriguing concept. They appear in one scene and warn a married couple, but they’re never seen again. In a film as thoughtful as Sinners, it’s one of the few threads left dangling.
Overall, Sinners isn’t just my favorite film of 2025, it’s my favorite film since Oppenheimer.
Home Sweet Home
Smoke and Stack return to their Mississippi Delta hometown to open a music venue as soon as possible. The brothers left for World War I. Then ended up in Chicago. They flee the Windy City after stealing booze from the Irish and Italian mob.
To open the music venue, they need top-notch performers and staff to run the operation. They pick up Sammie Moore, the son of a preacher, who is looking to escape the South like the twins. Caton is a revelation as Sammie. His voice, whether in speech or song, has an entrancing quality that sits with you from the first scene to the last. Smoke heads into town to enlist refreshment providers. Stack and Sammie go on a talent search.
While preparing to open the venue, Smoke and Stack run into women from their pasts. Smoke reconnects with Annie; they lost their infant son years ago. While returning brings much strife to Smoke, there’s a magnetic appeal between him and Annie that makes their connection unbreakable.
Stack has a much more curt encounter with Mary (Hailee Steinfeld), who passes white but is secretly one-eighth black. Stack left over fear for Mary’s safety. Being in a mixed-relationship in the south wouldn’t go well for Stack and from his perspective might be even worse for the perceived white woman.
Once the party begins, the booze starts flowing, people start dancing, and the music has so much soul that the spirits themselves are moved, including Remmick wants to join the party. However, his music and drink of choice are a bit stodgy.
Vampires in Sinners
I’m a sucker for a good vampire tale. Coogler takes an innovative approach to introducing vampires into the story. There aren’t many changes from traditional lore. These vampires are immune to bullets but are susceptible to silver, wooden stakes, holy water and garlic. Vampires must be invited in.
Remmick, as the head of the vampires, wants to add to his family. Every person Remmick turns forms a sire bond with Remmick, which means once a person is turned, they have no free will, but they retain the personality of the living person.
One of the most incredible things about the vampires in Sinners is their eyes. Remmick’s eyes have a red hue, which is suitably creepy, but it’s the whites of his family members’ eyes that are most striking. The eyes shimmer with a silver tint that feels like the soul has left their heart or chest and now resides in their eyes.
I also love how Coogler ramps up the intensity and how Smoke, as well as other characters, react to the reality of vampires. The 3rd act has an Assault on Precinct 13 vibe in which the human characters must hold out inside the joint. Annie is the one who understands what the creatures are and tells the others how to prepare to kill them. Since Coogler takes time to let the relationship between Annie and Smoke breathe, it makes sense when Smoke doesn’t question Annie’s words for a moment.
Sinners Final Thoughts
Overall, the inspired use of music, Jordan’s incredible dual performance, and Coogler’s brilliant storytelling make Sinners an unforgettable cinematic experience that’s sure to stir the soul.
Sinners
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Outstanding - 9.5/109.5/10
