Title: Sinners
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfield, Jack O’ Connell
Runtime: 2 hr 17 min

What It Is: Two twin gangsters, Smoke and Stack (both played by Michael B. Jordan) move back to their hometown to open up a juke joint in Jim Crow Era Mississippi. It’s a time of rhythm and blues and heavy racial disparity; but the brothers, along with a whole myriad of loveable characters, seek to lift their communities spirits up. Unfortunately, music has a supernatural quality to it, and the joyous night quickly turns dark when a group of hungry vampires decide to make a visit.

What We Think: Right out of the gate, I’m not going to keep you in suspense: I fucking loved this movie.

Dear god, this was an experience. This wasn’t just a movie—what this is transcends cinema. It’s a cultural, powerful phenomenon that will undoubtedly be discussed in film history textbooks for years to come. Do not go into this expecting conventional cinema. For a movie so deeply rooted in blues and Irish music, it is, somehow, extremely punk rock. It breaks the norms. It breaks the rules. It doesn’t care—and that’s what makes it electric.

The marketing leaned hard on the fact that there are vampires in it—and yes, there are—but this movie is so much more than that. The vampires don’t even show up until a good chunk of the way in. If I had to compare this film to anything, it’s like watching a musical novel unfold on screen. There’s a lot happening here, and it delivers powerful messages about race, culture, and identity. In many ways, this film is a spiritual experience.

The performances? Everyone brought their A-game. Michael B. Jordan was, of course, absolutely phenomenal—playing two different characters, no less. His portrayals of brothers Smoke and Stack were so distinct that you’d be forgiven for thinking they were played by real-life twins. Jack O’Connell as the lead vampire Remmick was pure, glorious perfection. Hailee Steinfeld, Delroy Lindo, Wunmi Mosaku, Li Jun Li—and a top-notch performance by Miles Caton—rounded out a stacked cast. The casting? Perfect across the board.

The music? The soundtrack to Sinners has been on repeat for me since I left the theater. There’s a sequence featuring “Rocky Road to Dublin” and the vampires that is now etched into my cinematic memory. It’s a moment that will go down as iconic.

If I had one criticism, it’d be about the length. But then again, this isn’t a typical film, so that critique doesn’t quite apply. Sinners doesn’t follow traditional storytelling rhythms. Upon reflection, I think the length was crucial to the film’s impact. I’m not going to pretend I can unpack every theme here, but what’s clear is that the runtime allows the film’s rich symbolism and layered messages to fully breathe. This isn’t a typical genre piece. The characters aren’t just fodder for vampires—they’re living, breathing people embedded in a film that wrestles with meaning and metaphor. A beautiful, beautiful film through and through.

(Editor’s note: There’s a clear commentary on the idea that Black Americans are given nothing, contrasted with the message that Remmick, as an Irishman, can relate to the Black American experience. Amongst other thematic choices)

One last thing, because I’ve seen this come up in online discourse:

Do not take your kids to see this movie. It’s called Sinners for a reason. It’s violent, highly sexual, and tackles very mature themes. This is a pure, unfiltered, modern masterpiece—but it is absolutely for adults only.

Oh—and stick around through the credits.

Our Grade: A+++, If you’re an adult, go see this movie. What are you doing? As soon as you can—go see it. This is the most impressive thing to come out of mainstream Hollywood in ages. It’s a cultural phenomenon and might just be the most important film of 2025. Do not miss out on this.

Why are you still reading? Go!