I was surprised before seeing Ryan Coogler’s Sinners how well it was being received both critically and commercially, by audience members. Of course, after seeing it, I’m not surprised at all. It’s quite an original project, something that is unfortunately a rarity in Hollywood these days. But I do not love it as much as other people have. Frankly, ever since I got out of the theatre, I’ve been mulling over whether I liked it or loved it. Giving myself a few days though has been good because it was frankly a very tense theatre experience. I try to stay away from horror or white knuckle thrillers in the theatre, my only other experience like this being The (very different) Zone of Interest (2023). But I’m happy I watched it as it is a rewarding time, though part of my happiness is that I’ll be able to rewatch it from the comfort of my own home next time. I, of course, won’t go into any spoilers but if you prefer to go into the film blind, then of course watch it before reading any further.
I thought Michael B. Jordan was fine, I haven’t seen a lot of his work (this being the 4th film I’ve seen him in). He is good, but I did feel that despite being the characters (he plays twins) with the most screen time, other performances in the film easily outshine him. Namely, Hailee Steinfeld, Wunmi Mosaku, Delroy Lindo, Jack O’Connell, and, of course, newcomer Miles Caton, who has a truly fantastic breakout role. Ironically, I felt that Caton’s breakout performance was similar to Steinfeld breaking out years ago in True Grit (2010). The trailers I remembered didn’t really show Caton having much of a prominent role, so it was a surprise when he was. Especially for a non-professional actor, he does an amazing job that will surely get him some award consideration down the line. Going back to Jordan’s twin characters, it was hard to tell them apart. It would have helped me a lot if one of them had a facial scar or something to make them look unique – you know, something to distinguish between the two.
A problem that I had was the plot/structure of the story. More than any other film that I’ve seen in recent memory, Sinners employs the classic three act structure. Again, I won’t go into a lot of details but the tone of the film changes from a drama to a horror film to an action film and it is not always a smooth transition from one to the other. You could almost say Sinners tries too hard to be different genres throughout its runtime. In the end, I was satisfied with how the film reached its conclusion but, for me, it was a bumpy road to get there.
The soundtrack is fantastic, Ludwig Göransson does a great job composing a catchy and memorable blues soundtrack. Of course, Miles Canton, who is a musician, contributes to this beautifully. I was surprised to learn that he is not a trained blues musician but that he learned for the film. He looked and sounded like a seasoned veteran of the genre. The movie, besides being a vampire film, is a love letter to the blues genre and other African or African-American types of music. There aren’t many films that have a great blues soundtrack but when I find one, I usually love it. Some of my favourites include Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012), Mud (2012), O’ Brother Where Art Thou (2000) and the TV show Justified (2010-2015) – and the soundtrack here is as good as those, if not better.
While I didn’t love it as much as other people, I would certainly recommend seeing it in theatres, especially if you like to watch horror and thriller films. Nowadays, it is rare to see such an original film when all Hollywood seems so risk averse, opting instead to produce is remakes and re-imaginings. I could definitely see this film being an awards contender during awards season, specifically the score, cinematography, and some of the incredible cast.
SINNERS IS PLAYING IN CINEMAS INTERNATIONALLY
Ben’s Archive – Sinners (2025)
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