#REVIEW: “SINNERS”

Review by Nicholas Porteous for Mr. Will Wong

In Writer-Director Ryan Coogler‘s vampire musical Sinners, a pair of Michael B. Jordans (as twins Smoke and Stack) return to Mississippi to open the hottest club in town–literally. Sinners posits that great music is a double-edged sword: an eternal bridge between the past, present and future, and–unfortunately for the locals–a doorway to demonsville. As Smoke and Stack recruit the town’s finest talent for their grand opening, they’re not just building the foundations of a toe-tapping bar. They’re practically begging the devil to come dance with them, too.

As far as 21st century Horror goes, I can’t think of another movie on the same wavelength as Sinners. A period ensemble Vampire Musical that plays notes of comedy, camp, death and desire–all with refreshing bravado–it’s the only game in town. I’d have to reach back to From Dusk Til Dawn for some structural parallels. Both movies build a chorus of colourful personalities, funnel them into a club, and then light the place on fire as a full-blown vampire attack descends upon them. They’re also both vampire movies that become perplexingly less interesting after said vampires show their fangs. But more on that later.

Sinners is a showcase for its assembled talent. Right out of the gate we get the aforementioned DOUBLE Jordans. The sheer star wattage when both share the screen is borderline unsustainable. Hailee Steinfeld crushes as an old flame with old scores to settle. Delroy Lindo‘s comic chops might make you spit popcorn. And these are only the headliners. Every soul on screen absolutely pops off, making for the spiciest collection of characters I’ve seen so far this year.

After Michael B. Jordan (and of course, Michael B. Jordan), the star of Sinners is the music. Chief among those melodious acts, newcomer Miles Caton will make you believe his guitar has the power to summon every kind of spirit. There’s a showstopping sequence about midway through–see this movie in IMAX for every inch of the frame–that absolutely transports Sinners into another dimension of soulful musical expression. I could not contain my grin.

I only wish Sinners could sustain those heights in its final hour. Once the vampires make their move, Sinners becomes a relatively straightforward affair. The Third Act, while undeniably explosive, lacks the unique zest of its setup. Sinners never really cashes in on its groundwork of character lore and indefinable vibes, devolving into a much less compelling monster movie that can’t help but feel leagues more conventional than it sets out to be. Still, if you’re heading to a theatre this weekend, I defy you to find a theatrical experience in the same neighborhood as this head-bobbing, singular vision of jazz music sharper than any blood-soaked fang.

Warner Bros. Pictures Canada release SINNERS April 18, 2025.