Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” (2025) is undoubtedly one of the best movies of the year. Correction: “Sinners” is the best movie of 2025.
Starring Michael B. Jordan in dual roles as gangster brothers Smoke and Stack, the film follows the brothers as they return home to rural Mississippi in 1932 to start anew, only to discover a greater evil awaits them upon their return.
Coogler has had an incredible start to his young career, one that rivals some of Hollywood’s greatest directors. With successful films like “Black Panther” (2018), its sequel “Wakanda Forever” (2022) and the “Rocky” spin-off “Creed” (2015), moviegoers were eager to see what Coogler had in store for his next feature film. What Coogler gave us is a beautifully crafted story that interweaves poignant and layered themes such as Black resilience and community dynamics with a celebration of Black culture and music. His direction is personal while also always feeling confident. There is a certain moment about halfway through that left my jaw on the floor.
Along with Michael B. Jordan, “Sinners” stars Hailee Steinfeld, Wunmi Mosaku, Delroy Lindo and Miles Caton. With a two-hour-and-17-minute runtime, Coogler lets the audience live with these characters and experience their daily lives before it all turns into pure vampire chaos. Lindo and Mosaku are phenomenal as Annie and Delta Slim, respectively.
Caton, however, is the real standout. Considering “Sinners” is his first role in a feature film, the levels of emotion and range Caton shows on screen are remarkable.
Seeing the film in IMAX also contributed to the experience, as the film is just the 20th to use the IMAX 70mm format, which lets the aspect ratio of the film expand to allow more picture to be shown at once. The film also used Ultra Panavision 70, an older but cherished celluloid format, best known for being used on films such as “Ben-Hur” (1959) and, most recently, Quentin Tarantino’s “The Hateful Eight” (2015). These formats, used masterfully in the film by cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw, allow “Sinners” to stand out in 2025 with its vibrancy and texture, a far cry from the overuse of green screen we see in films like “A Minecraft Movie.”
No technical aspect of “Sinners” is as great as Ludwig Göransson’s rousing and utterly breathtaking score. Blending genres such as the blues, rock and hip-hop, Göransson’s music stands as a testament to his ability to blend historical authenticity with contemporary musical innovation. He creates a score that is both evocative and integral to the film’s storytelling. From writing the music for “Oppenheimer” in 2023 and winning the Oscar to then doing this, one can only imagine what his music for Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” (2026) is going to sound like.
Lastly, Academy Award-winning costume designer Ruth Carter does a fantastic job at bringing the atmosphere and culture of the Mississippi Delta alive through the clothing and wardrobe. The makeup of the film is also very well done.
Coogler’s “Sinners” is a testament to the power and opportunity that come with original storytelling. Allowing young filmmakers to tell personal and authentic stories, particularly genre pieces such as this, is the direction that Hollywood should be going in for the future.
Rating: 4.5/5
