Ryan Coogler, you magnificent madman. Sinners is a fever dream dipped in blood, gospel, and glitter, and I mean that in the most reverent way possible. Yes, it’s messy. Yes, it’s long. Yes, there are Irish-dancing vampires. But somewhere between a juke joint's wall-shaking blues and the Southern Gothic shadows of Mississippi’s cotton fields, this film transcends.
On paper, it's about twin brothers trying to outrun their past. In practice? It's a vampiric rollercoaster through history, trauma, joy, community, and yes—musical numbers that had me levitating. That “griot” scene in the Juke? Might be my favorite one-shot of all time. Birdman, who?
Coogler should absolutely make a full-blown musical next. The way he uses music here—as a time machine, as a weapon, as salvation—is nothing short of fourth-dimensional. And Ludwig Göransson? King of the score. His sonic alchemy ties it all together. The moment Preacher Boy (Miles Caton) explodes into a soul-splitting blues number—backed by both enslaved spirits and modern synth—was spiritual. Absolute chills. Not exaggerating.
Let’s talk cast: Miles Caton? Superstar debut. Effortlessly magnetic. Delroy Lindo? Gave me chills just seeing him walk into frame. And Hailee Steinfeld as Mary? A mix of steel and honey—one moment soft, the next slicing. There are no weak links here, only beautifully worn faces telling haunted stories with their eyes.
And then there’s the lore. Coogler isn’t just giving us garlic and holy water. He’s recontextualizing vampirism through a Black Southern lens—tying it to real-life exploitation, community decay, and the price of freedom. He asks big questions: What is freedom? What would you sacrifice for even a taste of it? And he doesn’t hand us easy answers.
The film flirts with chaos, especially in the third act, but once it gets going—it goes. The last hour is paced to perfection. There’s one scene where the aspect ratio shifts, the music swells, and everything explodes into gorgeous cinematic lunacy. That’s cinema. That’s why we go to the movies.
Sure, it’s indulgent. Sure, it’s horny. But Sinners is pure, unfiltered vision. Shot on film, rich with texture, soul, and unapologetic spectacle. It's blaxploitation meets Romero meets Coogler's signature social edge—with a splash of camp and a punch to the gut.
Sinners bites, sings, and bleeds freedom. One of the best original films of the decade. Watch it on the BIGGEST screen possible.
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