Sinners (2025)
Writer, director, and producer Ryan Coogler has said that one of his influences for his Southern Gothic vampire film Sinners is the 1996 Robert Rodriguez horror outing From Dusk Till Dawn. Coogler, however, has made a much better movie with Sinners, creating a horror that is deeper than the average blood fest.
Sinners takes place in 1932 where identical twins "Smoke" and "Stack" (Michael B. Jordan in a dual role) return to the Mississippi Delta to open a juke joint after years of working for Al Capone in Chicago. They hire their young cousin Sammie (Miles Caton), an aspiring blues guitarist, despite Sammie's pastor father believing that the blues is the devil's music. Little do they all know that they are headed toward a supernatural presence in the form of vampires.
Overstuffed with terrific performances, the cast also includes Delroy Lindo, Hailee Steinfeld, Jack O'Connell, and even Buddy Guy.
While the story takes place in Mississippi, Sinners was shot all over Louisiana: New Orleans, LaPlace, Donaldsonville, Bogalusa, Labadieville, and Thibodaux. Coogler makes great use of these locations, and Autumn Durald Arkapaw's cinematography is immaculate as it captures the soul of the South.
Besides the slow first half, which needed more of a feeling of dread, there were a few other minor issues with the film, including an unintentionally funny sex scene in the first half of the film that comes out of nowhere. The scene would have worked better with just passionate kissing between the two characters. There is also an elaborate dream-like sequence showing how the music of the past inspires the music of the future, and it's all kind of pretentious. Then there is a key moment in the film with a Native America tribe, but they never make another appearance.
These are just tiny quibbles, because once the vampire action starts, Sinners really kicks into high gear. It's tense and exciting, with rich characterizations, cool vampire lore, and even a brilliant epilogue.
