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Vampires don’t seem to need an invitation to creep into our movies, with Nosferatu and Ryan Coogler’s latest driving that wooden point further, as Sinners is one of the most refreshing studio releases in years.

The marketing really betrayed this film in a lot of ways, but seeing as it’s been out for a few weeks now, it’s safe to assume most people interested in this movie have seen it—or at the very least, already know there are vampires in it. Either way, this review will not spoil the movie.

Sinners is not a perfect film by any means, but it is one of the most exciting films I’ve seen in a while. The industry has been in awful shape for a while now, with so many studios relying on giant films with bloated budgets to serve as their primary products. Mid-budget movies hardly get financed unless popular characters like the Joker or the Predator are attached. Sinners is an original story that not only provides a uniquely entertaining experience as a horror/crime/drama, but uses these genre elements to create a thematically richer result.

Music

What sets this film apart most from many of the other vampire period pieces is the way it uses music. Ludwig Göransson’s work here might be his best yet. The film explores culture in a very interesting way through music, incorporating multiple genres from different eras, resulting in a powerful original score. The music does at times feature more traditional strings during more emotional scenes, but even they have a slight Southern flavor that makes the music feel more singular. 

Aside from a strong original score, the film features several musical performances. They aren’t exactly musical numbers that one would expect from a traditional musical, and many songs are preexisting, but there is very necessary thematic purpose behind each one. The lyrics for each song are communicating something relevant to the story or how the characters feel each time. Even the villains get a song, and it only makes them more nuanced in their motivation.

Many have discussed a certain sequence halfway through this film that takes a huge creative swing. The scene in question is incredibly daring, ambitious, and feels like the type of artistic statement more movies at this scale need to be less afraid to try. There’s so much confidence in a scene that immediately blindsides its audience with an extremely jarring detail, only to completely commit 150% and deliver one of the most jaw-dropping sequences I’ve seen in a big studio movie in years. This haunting celebration of art and culture is the perfect centerpiece, contextualizing everything before it and everything to come.

Blood

Vampire movies are nothing new, with 2024 bringing us a fourth version of Nosferatu, so one would wonder: what could Sinners possibly do differently? The answer is not much—but also everything. Sinners essentially takes what we know about traditional vampire lore and uses it in ways so few movies even try to. These vampires are all susceptible to sunlight, garlic, holy water, wooden stakes to the heart, and they can’t come into your house without an invitation. All of this information is communicated in organic ways that further the story. The invitation rule is used in a way that adds tension very uniquely and makes for some genuinely nerve-racking moments.

This film has a lot more to offer than a spooky vampire tale, while still using this aspect very meaningfully. So much of the story communicates ideas of cultural appropriation and colonialism without ever feeling preachy or self-important. This is a furious movie that tears through a traditional story structure, force-feeds you more after you think you’re already full—but you don’t even care because it’s so good.

It really is too bad that the trailers had to reveal that this movie had vampires in it at all, as it would have been such a fun surprise. At least it’s doing well at the box office, so what do I know? So much of the movie gives very little hint at any sort of supernatural element that it would have been a wonderful surprise. Oh well.

Execution

Ryan Coogler is a very interesting filmmaker to me. I still have yet to see Fruitvale Station, but I am familiar with the rest of his catalog. While I’m not the biggest fan of the Black Panther films, Creed is one of the best sequels I’ve ever seen. It’s so interesting that this is his first film based on an original idea—especially one in this genre. It does make sense, however, as this feels like his most personal in some ways.

This could have been a standard horror movie about characters getting picked off one by one by some generic monster. Instead, Coogler elevated every potential cliché by giving it all purpose. The film looks a little dim at points, but so much of the lighting decisions were made to provide contrast. Shots of shadows or characters whose faces are obscured give the film a more textured look and make the brighter colors pop when contrasted with how dark the darker colors are presented.

The film is also paced extremely well, with much of the setup in the first half focusing almost entirely on the characters and setting. There is a lot of exposition, but the dialogue and performances keep the scenes from becoming stale.

There is not one weak link in the performances. Every single actor is doing something completely unique that adds to the film’s personality. Among the standouts is Michael B. Jordan, playing twin gangsters Smoke and Stack, a.k.a. the Smokestack Twins. Both characters feel fully realized and different from one another. Jordan seriously feels like two different people in what is his best performance so far.

Wunmi Mosaku gives a fierce performance as Annie, Smoke’s estranged wife who takes on a more proactive role as the story gets going. She delivers possibly the most confident performance of the cast.

Delroy Lindo continues elevating every project he’s a part of and crushes his role as Delta Slim, a jaded blues pianist who acts as the film’s comedic relief. He provides a needed respite from some of the more harrowing moments and has some of the most crowd-pleasing line deliveries since Javier Bardem in Dune: Part Two. 

The breakout star of this film, however, is Miles Caton, who plays Sammie, the protagonist of this story. This is his feature debut, and he is an incredibly unique performer. His voice sounds like it’s from another era entirely during his singing scenes. He even plays the moments that call for genuine fear or sadness very believably.

Jack O’Connell’s villain feels especially memorable and thematically appropriate. He never feels too exaggerated or one-note. The purpose he serves makes the film feel far more emotionally complex.

Hailee Steinfeld gives a fearless performance here as well, but almost feels overshadowed by how much more the main cast is doing. She serves her purpose perfectly and plays a character that is far more interesting than it has any right being. 

My only real issue with Sinners is kind of strange. Yes, it takes forever to end, and yes, there are more than a couple jump scares, but there is one aspect that kept bugging me. As much as I love the scenes with the vampires and think the way they’re used is very fun and creative, I couldn’t help but feel that I was enjoying the film so much more before Dracula took the wheel. As much as I loved the movie and the directions it took, I felt the tone in the second half almost felt like a betrayal of the beautifully slow approach the film was taking. I was so happy to see a film so fearless in its passion without relying on some fantastical element to keep modern audiences’ attention. The movie, thankfully, manages to take those elements and overdeliver on a story that is not only a fun ride, but a truly meaningful one. Sinners may not be a flawless masterpiece, but it is unlike anything I’ve seen in a very long time. Go see it if you haven’t already.

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