Ryan Coogler is one of the most exciting filmmakers working today, but nothing in his prior work quite prepares you for Sinners — a blues-soaked supernatural horror film set in 1932 Mississippi that plays as both deeply personal and magnificently cinematic.
The Mythology of the Delta
Twin brothers Smoke and Stack (both played by Michael B. Jordan in a dual performance that should be studied in acting schools) return to their hometown and open a juke joint that attracts something far older and far darker. Coogler draws on African-American folklore and the crossroads mythology of the blues tradition to create something genuinely mythological.
Technique at the Service of Terror
The cinematography by Autumn Durald Arkapaw achieves something extraordinary: warmth and dread occupying the same frame simultaneously. The extended musical sequence that anchors the second act is the single greatest scene in any 2025 film.
The TDW Verdict
A genuine American masterpiece. The kind of horror film that comes along once a decade.