Sinners

Sinners doesn’t just exceed expectations & challenge the status quo. It burns them to the ground in more ways than one. When was the last time you saw a movie and left the theater thinking, man, that movie was a 10/10? Or better yet, when was the last time you left the movie and said we might have to run it back next weekend? You know what, forget that, let's go and see it again tomorrow, cause that movie was really good. Well, for me, Sinners was that movie, and I have not felt that way about a movie I've seen in theaters, to be specific, in a minute. But the big question everyone is asking is if Sinners really lives up to the hype?

This review has been a long time coming, but I want to start off by saying that Sinners is the best movie I've seen in 2025, 100%. I left the theater feeling like there was a lot to unpack. And to this day, more than a month removed, I feel the same way. Even though the core of the movie is pretty simple in nature. But the subtle messaging in this movie speaks louder than some words ever can. So even as I'm writing this review, if you have not seen Sinners yet, go see it. And then see it again because this movie burned the house down in more ways than one.

Going into this movie, I had a couple of expectations based on what I saw in the trailer. The first thing was that we were gonna get a great performance from the actors. Mainly Michael B. Jordan because to this day, Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan haven't missed yet. But also from the all-star cast they have assembled for Sinners. The second thing was vampires going crazy. Specifically, Hailey Steinfeld cause she made a promise to us in the trailer. And I was excited to see how they were going to deliver it.

Now I'm going to keep it a buck with you, I'm not the biggest vampire flick fan. My fandom begins and ends with Blade pretty much. I was not big into Twilight or Dracula as a kid, so my Vampire knowledge is not very extensive. I’m familiar with the classic vampire tropes. But this movie added some extra seasoning to what, at least I know, vampires are. What I love about this movie is that it taps into so many facets of life, some there is a lot of crossover culturally. Something as simple as the vampire having to be invited into your home before they can enter. Personally, I’ve heard that so many different times and different ways growing up in church. That basically means the devil can’t do anything without God first giving permission. It was a touchpoint that connected me to the plot.

Simple touchpoints like that change the whole atmosphere of the movie. Giving the audience enough clues and pieces of the pie. To not only keep them invested. In not only the story as an experience in and of itself, but also making sure they make every line count. So it's not just another line of dialogue.

Speaking of dialogue, I haven’t even given you the premise of Sinners yet. So if this is your first time coming across Sinners. This movie is basically about two brothers opening up a juke joint. In an old saw mill back during the share-cropping Jim Crow era of Louisiana. Yes, this movie was set in a different time, but the movie still felt modern. It was an era where everyone was tryna seek freedom from their current circumstance. Some might say that it is not that far removed from what we still face today. But I will let you come to your own conclusion on that one.

But to stay on track, the Moore twins, Smoke & Stack, have the goal of making this juke joint as legitimate as possible. Regardless of how they acquired the money to seed the project. They had a plan and they executed it. All for this one night that would hopefully be the first of many successful nights. And with the help of some friends and family, they were certain they could pull off a miracle.

That miracle soon turned into a nightmare when the big bad of this film Remmick. He pulled up to the Juke Joint ready to jam. One thing that I will say about Jack O’Connell’s portrayal of Remmick was that he was definitely in his bag. Was he the most terrifying vampire of all time? No but he sure acted like it. Sure some might say he may not be the smartest and a tad bit desperate. Just based on how were introduced for him. But once the sun went down he put on show for us in more ways then one.

One Easter egg I found dope was the inspiration behind the red eyes in the film. It actually came from the wolf character in the movie Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Which leads me to one of the other things I appreciated in the film. It's that they never seem to out right say that the antagonist in the movie are vampires. They kind of leave it ambiguous. Probably because all the people in the movie are experiencing this for the first time so there is no need to. You know what they say what's understood doesn't need to be said. They kind of just put the pieces together base on all the stories they were told growing up. Along with the things the noticed in real time to come up with a strategy.

Now this is where things get tricky because at this point in the movie we have established a lot. We know who the bad guys are. We know what they want or should I say who they want. And we know what we have to do to survive the night. Basically, just wait it out. But that's what I loved about the direction of Sinners. It's the choices they made in this movie. They took a simple solution and turned it into a devastating reality. Not only did they stir the pot by starting out with a big group and slowly pick them off one by one. Building the tension and paranoia one bite at time. But they also gave these characters proper motivations. To make sure some of the crazy choices each character made created some epic moments. You could really feel the desperation from the cast on both sides of the fence.

It’s the genius keeping things simple enough that you leave room to be creative and expand on an idea. Which gives the audience so much they can work with. Especially when comes to coming up with their own explanations on what they just saw. Like many of Ryan Coogler’s movies, Sinners leaves room for the plot to breathe. And it makes for fun conversation after the fact which is why I'm giving sinners a 10/10 G-Files Score. Hands down the best movie I have seen this year by far.