Sinners

 

While visiting LA, I spotted the poster for Sinners outside the iconic TCL Chinese Theater. Right away, I recognized Michael B. Jordan, known for Black Panther and the Creed series. I was surprised—I hadn’t even heard of this new film. It didn’t seem to be publicized like big-budget movies such as Black Panther or Wakanda Forever, so it flew under the radar for me. But later, through word of mouth, I heard it was worth checking out—and that it was a horror movie. Since I enjoy the genre and this sounded different, I decided to give it a shot.

The film is set in the pre–World War I era and follows twin brothers, Smoke and Stack, who want to start fresh and open a juke joint—a kind of club for the local Black community. Their cousin Sammie, an excellent guitarist, joins them. But on opening night, they encounter a supernatural evil. What happens next, and how their lives change, forms the rest of the story.

The setup feels like a fresh spin on horror. Director Ryan Coogler brings his distinct style, portraying Black life with natural performances and realistic settings. He reminds me of our Tamil director Vetrimaaran—both are deeply rooted in showcasing the lives of underprivileged people. At the same time, they balance their storytelling with enough commercial appeal to reach a broader audience without feeling preachy.

Sinners is a good example of that balance. The horror and supernatural elements provide the commercial pull, while underneath, the film explores Black life of that era—how people lived and how important music was in their lives.

The music in the film is really good. Unlike Indian films, Hollywood rarely features strong song scores—usually it’s just background music or a couple of tracks during the credits. But here, the songs reflect the era beautifully. There’s a dance sequence at the juke joint that reminded me of the one in Titanic.

Coming to the horror elements: this is a vampire movie, so naturally there’s a lot of blood. They’ve taken some cinematic liberties, like in Evil Dead—even a small bite results in blood gushing out like it’s from a broken pipe. But I didn’t mind it. That’s part of the genre’s charm. Even the movie posters are blood red, staying true to the theme. I also liked the special effects and makeup—the eerie details on characters felt real, and I believe a lot of it was practical makeup, which added authenticity.

Michael B. Jordan was excellent, as always. I think this might be his first time playing twins. I’m curious whether the twin concept was in the script from the start, or if they changed it later so both roles could be played by him. Either way, the scenes with both brothers looked seamless. These things may be easier with today’s technology, but they still require careful planning to pull off convincingly.

Hailee Steinfeld played his girlfriend and did a good job. I was surprised at first to see a white girl in that role during that era, but then I learned the term “white-passing”—someone who appears white but is classified as Black. That was something new for me.

The rest of the cast, especially the vampires and Smoke’s wife, also did a great job. Overall, it’s a refreshing take on the horror genre. I’d love to see more directors like Ryan Coogler exploring different genres with their unique vision.

That said, I wish the horror parts had been developed a bit more. More action sequences and a broader setting beyond the juke joint would have added depth. The entire confrontation happens in just one place—they could’ve expanded it or explored the origins of the evil more. Also, the dialogues were hard to understand. I get that the dialect adds authenticity, as that’s how Black people spoke during the pre–WWI era. It reminded me of the Chittoor dialect in Pushpa, which even many Telugu speakers struggled with.

So overall, I liked Sinners. I’d give it an 8 out of 10.