******BLOODSUCKING SPOILERS!******

Written and directed by Ryan Coogler (“Fruitvale Station,” “Black Panther,” “Creed”), “Sinners” is a mashup of wildly different genres; Depression-era gangster flicks, Jim Crow-era dramas, and vampires. That’s a challenging mix, and “Sinners” admittedly borrows many beats of its story from 1996’s crime-drama/vampire mashup “From Dusk Till Dawn.” “Sinners” even owes a nod or two to the sultry Deep South vampires of the late author (and New Orleans native) Anne Rice (1941-2021). However, “Sinners” is much more than the sum of its parts.

Before this film, I hadn’t gone to the movies for awhile because, frankly, there hasn’t been much out there that I wouldn’t rather stream/play on my digital projector and 7 ft. (2 meter) collapsible screen at home. But the tantalizing previews and strong buzz on “Sinners” were too overwhelming to ignore. I also heard the movie was shot on actual IMAX film stock (not digital video), with alternating aspect ratios between 1.43:1 and 2.76:1 (a rare, super-wide frame used previously on “Ben-Hur,” “The Creator,” and “Hateful Eight”). However, the non-IMAX matinee screening I attended displayed the entire film in a 2.76:1 ratio, which still offered plenty of immersion for my bargain-priced ticket.

Personal Note: Currently, I’m nursing a bad knee that’s facing possible surgery soon, which forces me to walk with a cane. Nevertheless, I hauled my gimpy old butt to my local theater where I saw a surprisingly sizable early Tuesday afternoon crowd of about 40 to 50 people. Last time I saw a movie theatrically, there were only a handful of people in attendance, and most of them were paying more attention to their phones than the giant screen ahead of them. So, after a year or so of unconsciously avoiding theaters, it was important for me to see this movie with a quiet, respectful and attentive crowd. They were, fortunately, and that really helped.

Now, it’s time to shine a bit of daylight on…

“Sinners” (2025)

The movie opens with a flash-forward, as we see a scarred young man carrying a guitar named Sammie “Preacher Boy” Moore (Miles Caton). The bleeding young man barely manages to stumble into the church of his father Jedidiah (Saul Williams), who’s leading his shocked congregation. Jedidiah once warned his aspiring musician son that “(if) you keep dancing with the devil, one day he’s gonna follow you home.”

Note: Despite the movie’s publicity materials focusing on Michael B. Jordan in the dual roles as the Smoke-Stack twins, “Sinners” is really told from the perspective of their aspiring musician cousin, Sammie.

The movie then cuts to the beginning of the story, in 1932 rural Mississippi, with World War 1 veteran Elijah “Smoke” Moore (Michael B. Jordan) and his identical twin brother, Elias “Stack” Moore (Michael B Jordan); these are the SmokeStack twins, recently returned to their home turf after ripping off an unnamed wealthy mobster in Chicago (presumably Al Capone…?). The two brothers have made a deal to buy an old unused sawmill from a racist landowner aptly named Hogwood (David Maldonado). The twins buy the mill in cash, for more than its asking price, on the condition that the mill and its land are theirs–and any intruders, including Hogwood’s Klansmen buddies, will be shot and killed. The two brothers intend to turn the old mill into an exclusive juke joint for Blacks. Both Smoke and Stack go on separate missions to recruit local talent, in hopes of opening that same night…

Note: Two criminal brothers with a wad of cash going to a late night club. Yes, the plot is superficially similar to Robert Rodriguez’s “From Dusk Till Dawn,” but the perspective, experiences and cultural outlook of each film are radically different.

Stack then comes across Sammie, who’s playing blues on his steel guitar at a train stop, next to town drunk and gifted pianist, Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo). Both men are recruited by Stack for a gig at the opening of ‘Club Juke.’ Young Sammie is also enamored of an attractive, married singer named Pearline (Jayme Lawson), who’s teasingly infatuated with him as well. Speaking of infatuations, Stack has an uncomfortable run-in with his ex-girlfriend Mary (Hailee Steinfeld), who passes for white. Stack then invites all the Blacks at the train station to his opening night. Meanwhile, Smoke recruits friendly Chinese shopkeeper Bo (Yao), and his wife Grace (Li Jun Li) to supply food for the opening, under the eye of their cynical teenage daughter, Lisa (Helena Hu). Exiting the shop, Smoke shoots two old ‘friends’ who were trying to steal his car, but he quietly pays Bo to have the local doctor ‘take care’ of them.

Note: The scenes of Smoke and Stack recruiting their friends for opening night are efficient shorthand ways to establish each of the characters and their particular talents. Even at 2 hours and 17 minutes, there isn’t a wasted minute in the movie’s runtime.

After visiting the grave of their baby daughter, Smoke then pays a visit to his estranged wife Annie (Wunmi Mosaku), the local Hoodoo practitioner who sells her mojo bags, and other wares to the locals for money, using her two other kids as couriers. Annie wasn’t able to save their baby daughter with her Hoodoo potions; a point of contention that drove her and Smoke apart right before he abandoned her for Chicago. Realizing they still have strong feelings for each other, they make passionate love, and she later agrees to cook for his club opening.

Note: Nigerian-born Wunmi Mosaku is known to Marvel fans as B-15, aka Verity Mills, head of the Time Variance Authority; a character she played in both the “Loki” TV series on Disney+ as well as the recent feature film “Deadpool & Wolverine” (2024).

Around dusk, we see a bare-chested white man named Remmick (Jack O’Connell) running towards a small shack; his skin seeming to smoke in the fading sunlight. At the doorway of the shack, he begs the husband and wife owners (Lola Kirke, Peter Dreimanis) to let him in, as he’s being pursued by Choctaw Native Americans. Remmick appeals to their prejudices, and they let him in. The Choctaw arrive, and warn the couple the man they’re harboring is “not what he seems.” They ignore the warning, before the wife finds that Remmick has drained her husband’s blood–turning him into a vampire, like himself.

Note: The vampire storyline might seem at odds with the gritty, Jim Crow South setting, but it we already had a hint of the supernatural, as seen with Annie and her Hoodoo practices. The vampires of this film are more of an elevation than a hard left turn; unlike the vampires of “The Titty Twister” in “From Dusk Till Dawn,” which came entirely without warning.

The club is staffed, and after stealing a bit of electricity from a local power line, the juke joint is open for business. Catfish and drinks are served, and Delta Slim invites Sammie up to play his blues. Sammie’s music really gets the crowd to their feet. As he plays, the transcendent music summons visions of the club going up in flames, with ghostly dancers and revelers from around the world, past and future; from ancient Chinese pipa players and Native American powwow dancers to modern rappers and deejays. It’s a joyous celebration of music, as Sammie’s singing and guitar-playing seduces the entire club, including Pearline–whom Sammie later gives a bit of pleasuring to, much to her surprise and delight.

Note: This is one of my favorite scenes of the movie; a surreal and joyous celebration of music, with the ghostly revelers being the ancestors and descendants of 1930s blues music. Nevertheless, there’s an undercurrent, as the vision of the burning club suggests the liberating music might bring a harbinger of death, as Jedidiah warned. Like the violin with Anne Rice’s vampires, the music in this movie acts as a catalyst for the supernatural.

Sammie’s music unwittingly summons Remmick and his newly-minted vampires, who arrive at the entrance of the club, but are met by burly bouncer Cornbread (Omar Miller). Remmick and the others humbly ask if they can join with Sammie, Delta Slim and Pearline; as they impressively demonstrate their own musical talents with Irish folk tunes. Despite their impromptu audition, Smoke gets a bad vibe from them, and refuses their entrance. Remmick and his pair of converts walk away, promising to be nearby if they change their minds.

Note: As we’ve seen in other vampire movies, books and TV shows, these vampires must be admitted before they can cross an entrance. The movie follows other bits of traditional vampire safeguards and lore, including allergies to sunlight and garlic.

After getting into it with Stack, Mary leaves the club. As she walks away, she notices Remmick and his companions sitting nearby with their instruments. Remmick pours on the charm with Mary, impressing her with his trio’s musical talents. This leaves her vulnerable, and she’s bitten.

Note: Hailee Steinfeld was a 2011 Oscar nominee at age 14 for her role of Mattie (a role originally played by Kim Darby) in the 2010 remake of 1969’s “True Grit,” which costarred Matt Damon as ‘LeBouf’ (a role played by Glenn Campbell) and Jeff Bridges as ‘Rooster Cogburn’ (the role originally played by Oscar-winner John Wayne).

Vampire Mary returns just as bouncer Cornbread is taking a leak, so pianist Delta Slim re-admits her without suspicion. Once inside, she meets up with Stack and takes him into an upstairs room, where Stack succumbs to her charms–ignoring the bloody wound on her shoulder. Hearing his brother scream, Smoke rushes in and shoots the fanged, glowing-eyed Mary–who simply gets up after taking multiple rounds and flees the club, promising to return and kill them all. Meanwhile, Stack is dead, but Annie is leery of keeping his body on the premises, for fear of his inevitable vampiric resurrection. A grief-stricken Smoke refuses to move his brother, and locks the door instead; not fully ignoring the danger, after seeing Mary take multiple gunshots. Outside, Cornbread is draining his willie by a tree when he’s attacked by Remmick and turned as well…

Note: Omar Miller recently played ‘van guy’ Harry Gibson in the short-lived CBS/Paramount+ reboot of James Cameron’s spy action/comedy “True Lies.”

After Stack’s death, a turned-Cornbread returns but asks permission to re-enter. Smoke and the others are suspicious, but Delta Slim offers to give him his cut for the night. As his hand crosses the entrance, Cornbread bites him and drags him outside with preternatural swiftness. As the club shuts down, the vampires swell their ranks by attacking fleeing patrons, including shopkeeper Bo. Newly-minted vampire Stack is eventually freed from his locked door, but he’s doused with garlic juice by Annie, and flees. Annie then coaches the survivors with everything she knows about vampires; sunlight, silver, stakes and garlic, as well as their need to be invited before entering. Each of them also eat a clove of raw garlic as an inoculant.

Note: Wasn’t silver a werewolf thing? Oh well, who cares. Now comes the ‘undead lay siege’ stage of the film, as seen in “Night of the Living Dead” (1968/1990), “Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things” (1972), the aforementioned “From Dusk Till Dawn, ” and “The Omega Man” (1971).

With the club fortified, Remmick tries negotiating with the survivors, offering them immortality and a freedom from bigotry they can’t experience in their world. Appealing to Sammie, he says it was the young man’s gift that lured him to the club, and that he can use that power to attract others of their kind. As a final peace offering, Remmick–who’s read the minds of those he’s turned–warns Smoke of a morning attack from the double-crossing Hogwood; who’s a high-ranking, closeted member of the local Klan. Vampire Bo then steps forward, and tells Grace he’ll turn their daughter. Grace loses her cool and challenges the vampires by inviting all of them into the club. All hell breaks loose. Casualties mount, as Grace, Delta Slim and even Annie are killed. Smoke is devastated. The vampire Mary flees before a vengeful Smoke can kill her, too.

Sammie, Pearline and Smoke attempt to flee as well, but they’re attacked by Remmick and Stack. Smoke squares off with his turned brother, and he’s presumably going to kill him, but we don’t see the outcome. Meanwhile, Remmick goes after Sammie and Pearline. Pearline is bitten, but before she dies, she pleads with Sammie to save himself. On a nearby pond, Sammie faces off with Remmick, and uses his steel guitar as a weapon. His attack proves effective enough for Smoke to arrive and drive a stake through Remmick’s heart, finishing him off. The sun rises, and the entire horde of vampires immolate, flaking away as embers into the morning. After the sun rises, Smoke urges Sammie to leave before Hogwood’s Klansmen arrive…

Note: There’s one extra layer of all-too-human evil left for Smoke to take down; the Ku Klux Klan.

Recovering his old weapons cache from the war, veteran Smoke hides out of sight and assaults Hogwood’s Klansmen with a barrage of sniper fire. Smoke kills most of them, and wounds Hogwood, before being mortally wounded with a shot to the belly himself. After bumming a cigarette off the dying Hogwood, Smoke then sprays the old racist with bullets. Before he dies, Smoke has a vision of Annie breastfeeding their baby daughter. As Smoke’s life ebbs away, he reaches out to them. Meanwhile, Sammie returns to the church, and to the scene where the movie began…

Note: The scene of Smoke reunited with Annie’s spirit reminded me of 1995’s “Braveheart” when the captured William Wallace had a vision of his late wife just as the guillotine blade lands. As much as I despise Mel Gibson today, it’s hard to deny the power of that movie.

As the credits begin, the movie cuts to 1992 Chicago, where an elderly, famous Sammie (now played by real-life blues legend Buddy Guy) headlines at a popular club. After the club closes, Sammie is told there are two people waiting to meet him, and they’ve been invited in. We see the immortal Stack and Mary dressed in hip, early-1990s street garb. Stack reveals that his brother spared his life, on the condition that he’d let Sammie live in peace. Smelling death encroaching on the old man, Stack tells him he could still give him immortality, but Sammie declines. Before they depart, Sammie and Stack exchange a few words about their last meeting:

Old Sammie: “You know something? Maybe once a week, I wake up paralyzed reliving that night. But before the sun went down, I think that was the best day of my life. Was it like that for you?”

Stack: “No doubt about it. Last time I seen my brother. Last time I seen the sun. And just for a few hours? We was free.”

With that, Stack and Mary leave old Sammie in peace.

The End.

Note: There is a final post-credits scene where we see young Sammie performing one more song.

Summing It Up

It’s no secret that Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” draws from Robert Rodriguez’s crime-horror mashup “From Dusk Till Dawn,” as well as the late Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles books, films and TV shows (the strong connection between music and the preternatural realm, for example). However, the movie offers much more than a reiteration of its influences. Much of that comes from its embracing of multiculturalism; expressed so vibrantly through Sammie’s blues, and in composer Ludwig Görannsen’s (“The Mandalorian”) Oscar-caliber soundtrack.

The worldwide roots of the movie’s Deep Southern blues are also seen in ghosts from across human history (past and future) who crash Sammie’s gig; and it’s a refreshing middle finger to those who currently seek to erase or minimize those influences. That Sammie Moore’s music can generate joy and attract darkness runs parallel with his cousins; the Smoke-Stack twins. The twins represent the conflicting natures of humanity’s many impulses. As the title alludes, no one in the film is entirely pure, but it’s how they choose to reconcile self-interest with selflessness that defines them. For example, Smoke can shoot two men for trying to steal from him just before he makes sure both are taken care of by a local doctor. Ultimately, Smoke doesn’t survive, but if there’s even a chance he or his brother might live to see Remmick’s tempting offer, that tarnished goodness of Smoke’s ensures it’ll be Stack.

Michael B. Jordan’s dual roles of Smoke and Stack Moore are differentiated by dental appliances and subtle disinctions in Ruth Carter’s costumes, but it’s the actor who makes the characters readily distinguishable through his performance(s). Multiple FX houses, including Industrial Light & Magic, were employed to make Jordan’s various interactions with himself seamless–to the point where Smoke can casually offer a light for Stack’s cigarette. Jordan is one of the most interesting leading men working in films today, and I see him in the mold of a young Paul Newman; a ridiculously handsome and charismatic guy with the acting chops to do whatever’s needed. The entire cast is impressive, with particular shoutouts to Wunmi Mosaku (“Deadpool & Wolverine”), Hailee Steinfeld (“True Grit”), Delroy Lindo (“Face/Off”), Omar Miller (TV’s “True Lies”) and Jack O’Connell.

I save my highest praise for young Miles Caton; who plays the younger version of Sammie “Preacher Boy” Moore, and from whom the movie’s perspective is told. Caton did his own singing and even learned to play blues guitar for the movie. It’s his voice you hear on the movie’s soundtrack, which is supported by composer Ludwig Görannsen’s finest work. IMAX cinematography by Autumn Durald (also credited as Autumn Dural Arkapaw) makes the film look like something from the dark, warm, grainy archives of Vilmos Zsigmond, Gordon Willis or Owen Roizman. The texture of actual film is something I miss very much with today’s super-clean digital imagery. Both in sound and look, “Sinners” is Ryan Coogler’s ode to the best of late 1960s and early 1970s filmmaking.

I also appreciated that the horror of “Sinners” comes from an organic place that plays fair with its audience by eschewing the cheap jump-scares all too prevalent in today’s lesser fright flicks. The real horror comes from the seeing a rural nightclub dream rapidly turned into a supernatural nightmare. The music which brings great joy and freedom to the characters in one moment is also used to summon darkness in the next. The older Sammie (Buddy Guy) later admits to the vampire Stack that the worst night of his life was also his best–an unspeakable horror following a musical night of liberation; the two events forever intertwined.

“Sinners” is not a simple tale of good vs. evil; it’s about all the complex sounds, sins and pleasures of life itself. It’s a truly fitting movie for this moment. Don’t miss it.

Where to Watch

As of this writing, “Sinners” is still in theatrical release. Being a Warner Bros release, it’ll most likely appear on HBO MAX when it finally comes to streaming. Personally, I look forward to its Blu-Ray physical media release. This one’s a keeper.