Horror film 'Sinners' is full of adrenaline, a crowning achievement

Set in 1932 Jim Crow-era Mississippi arrives a tale combining two favorites of mine from a literary and educational perspective. Director Ryan Coogler, the man behind "Fruitvale Station," "Creed" and both "Black Panther" films, presents a unique, horrifying and interesting story homing in on history and vampire mythology.

"Sinners" stars Michael B. Jordan portraying a dual role as World War 1 veterans named Smoke and Stack. In an effort to enter the world of legitimate business away from their past criminal activities, they purchase an abandoned building, transforming it into a traditional juke joint for outcasts living in the '30s era of segregation. As a night of music, dancing and harmony progresses, a sinister force emerging from the shadows brings forth a violent, evil and visceral carnage unlike anything they have experienced. Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Canton, Jayme Lawson, Omar Miller and Delroy Lindo are also part of the talented cast featured in this significant horror film.

The important aspect of this feature is the story presents a gradual burn before the vampires make their appearance. Past films featuring vampires have a specific formula for having the carnage prominently happening from beginning to end. However, "Sinners" offers a unique presentation focusing on character development, atmospherics and gradually building to the horror rather than it fully encompassing the story.

Jordan's portraying identical twins is a cinematic treat. Growing up in the '80s and '90s, there was always the wonderment of how directors captured the essence of the same actor playing double roles. Unbelievably, its presentation was always an event because for that era of cinema, the dual role was a rarity. His performance offers a perspective on how different the brothers are from each other. I appreciated how he captured how one brother was more unhinged than the other and was willing to leap into dangerous situations with little to no regard. Both brothers have criminal and violent tendencies, but they still present in an odd way a strict code of honor.

Steinfeld, Canton, Jack O'Connell, Miller and Lindo bring their elite acting game to the story, too. Aside from the gradual burn before the vampire's appearance, I also wanted to point out the engagement of the characters. Slow burns in film format are either executed properly or miss the mark entirely. I found myself embracing the interesting nature of all the characters with their magnetic chemistry, humorous banter of dialogue and how they were portraying specific characters set in a volatile period of American history.

One of the highlights in the film is Lindo. He is an underrated actor to the point where I am unable to remember a performance of his that was not entertaining. For an actor of his caliber and the number of years he has been in cinema, one would assume it would be easy for him to accept a paycheck and phone in a measure of a respectable performance, making it clear he did not put effort into his scenes. He always puts in his best with what the story offers. The way he exhibits traditional humor with his facial expressions and responses provides authentic levity to an otherwise brutal storyline.

Cinematic composer Ludwig Goransson channels an eclectic array of musical arrangements that is difficult to articulate. There are a couple interesting musical segments serving to push the story forward. As an admirer of unique musical compositions, the score for "Sinners" created a sensation in wanting to purchase the soundtrack. My perspective can be best articulated as a combined effort of blues, classical, rock, psychedelic arrangements and a traditional cinema score, making for a memorable experience. Being unable to accurately place the score into a category defines its complex execution of beauty and haunting melodies.

I have always had an admiration for vampire mythology. Their literary and cinematic existence through drastic changes in world-changing events always make for fantastical stories. Unfortunately, past vampire presentations have been less than desired to say the least. Witnessing an organic return to their conceptual basis of creatures of the night emerging from the shadows is a welcome breath of fresh air. Using actual make-up makes for terrifying results. Once the buildup to their appearance is complete, the chaos unfolds in a nonstop fashion with adrenaline-paced action, violence, blood and gore. The best way to describe what "Sinners" is in totality is if viewers loved "Blade," "Interview with the Vampire," "30 Days of Night," "Near Dark" and "From Dusk till Dawn," this is a film for them. Even if viewers are not traditional fans of horror in general, "Sinners" is a fantastic story presented in cinematic format, making it easy to forget it is a horror film.

2025 as of late has been a lackluster year with cinematic offerings. I am proud to state "Sinners" at this moment is the best film of 2025. Depending on what the rest of the year offers, this is an amazing crowning achievement from Coogler. In closing, this film has beautiful cinematography, haunting atmospherics, powerful and raw acting, and brutal action combined with wonderfully executed character development. "Sinners" is the ultimate 10/10 experience I highly recommend.

To watch Isaiah Ridley's movie reviews online, find him @Izzy's Cinematic Escape on YouTube.