Sinners: The One Thing That Stopped Me from Giving It a Perfect 10

Sinners: The One Thing That Stopped Me from Giving It a Perfect 10

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Stress Management Tip inspired by Sammie: Follow your heart

You must become unshakable in the belief that you are worthy of a big life –Kristin Lohr

Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler, was released on April 18, 2025, to high critical praise and a strong box office showing for an R-rated horror movie. It is poised to become a classic. 

Although I wanted to see it the weekend it came out because … well, Ryan Coogler, I did not have the opportunity, and all the social media comments were giving me FOMO. I was finally able to take myself on a movie date and went to see it on a quiet Thursday night. Interestingly, more people were in the theater than I had anticipated, which was a nice surprise. 

Again, all I knew about Sinners was that it had vampires in it, and Ryan Coogler directed it. Honestly, that was enough for me. Sinners is set during the 1932 Jim Crow South in a small Mississippi town where a set of twin brothers return to make a better life for themselves. Coogler utilizes folklore and the power of music to set the backdrop for not only strong character development but also for the events that would unfold throughout the movie. 

Going on several weeks into its release, Sinners is not only holding strong but killing it at the box office for an R-rated horror movie despite what shady headlines are trying to portray. It is doing so well that it was returned to IMAX for a limited release because people missed the opportunity to catch it on IMAX the first time, and from the buzz, are willing to see it again, but this time in IMAX. Sinners stars Michael B Jordan as Elija “Smoke Moore and Elias “Stack” Moore, Haliee Steinfeld as Mary, Miles Caton as Sammie, Jack O’Connell as Remmick, Wunmi Mosaku as Annie, Jayme Laweson as Pearline, Omar Miller as Cornbread, Delroy Lindo as Delta Slim, Li Jun Li as Grace Chow, and Yao as Bo Chow. 

I think we can call the Coogler-Jordan pairing a movie dynasty. Sinners mark their fifth successful project together. Throw Ludwig Göransson into the mix for the musical genius topping and you’ve got movie-making magic. I am excited to see what projects they continue to work on, as the five previous films, Fruitvale Station, Creed, Black Panther, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Sinners have been received well. Ultimately, Coogler’s vision, passion and skill are what have led to his success. I most definitely anticipate his next project with excitement. 

I saw the movie twice and loved it even more the second time. Currently, it has a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is pretty impressive. The reason I enjoyed it more the second time around is that I had no idea what it was about and what to expect the first time. Also, I feel like I missed a lot from the first time that I picked up while watching it the second time around. The pacing, which is usually a movie's Achilles’ heel for me, was well done. It was a nice flow from character building and laying the groundwork before the vampire action really took off. You have to pay attention. I thought the setting was impactful because of the period and emotional scars connected with it. Coupled with the exceptional cinematography, the viewer is pulled into the time. The acting was top tier on everyone’s account, especially the newcomer.  Delroy Lindo killed it with his subtle lines that were moving and funny. There’s always a scene stealer, and I have to give it to Omar Benson Miller as Cornbread. Of course, Michael B. Jordan did his thing as well, playing the twin brothers. I will be honest, I never thought he was a strong actor, but he went deep for this one and seamlessly played those two brothers to the point where I forgot it was actually one person playing both roles. Everything about the cinematography was intentional, and I think I understood that more the second time around. I would have given a perfect 10 except there was one thing that drove me nuts, so I couldn’t, but overall it was a solid 9.5. 

Spoilers

So the movie starts where it ends in a way. Sammy is seen battered and bruised, bursting into his father’s church, and his father proceeds to beg him to leave his sinful ways behind him, which would include his music. Then it moves to the day before when we meet Smoke and Stack. They have purchased an old saw mill and plan to turn it into a Juke joint. We then follow the group as they get into the preparations for the Juke joint, in which we meet many of the key players. Before that, we do get to meet the white sellers of the property, whom Smoke and Stack threaten to kill if they show their faces on the property again. There is also a scene when we meet Renmick, who is a vampire. He is being chased down by  Native American vampire hunters but takes refuge with a KKK couple. Finally, night falls, and the Juke joint is open for business. Locals attend and start having a great time with music flowing. As the night wears on, Renmick attempts to come to the party but is turned away. Eventually, due to financial situations with how much they are making at the Juke, Mary tries to talk to Renmick and his crew to find out more about them. Well, she gets turned, gets invited back to the Juke joint, and proceeds to kill and turn Stack. All hell breaks loose as Grace loses it and invites all the vampires in. A battle ensues, and most everyone is turned except for Sammie and Smoke. Sammie, with the help of his guitar and the sunrise, kills Renmick. The other vampires also die as the sunrises. Smoke takes revenge on the people who sold the land, which Renmick revealed were Klan members who planned to return and kill everyone left at the Juke joint in the morning. Smoked killed them all with his stash of weapons before succumbing to a fatal gunshot wound himself.

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Why I couldn’t give Sinners a 10

Michael B Jordan as Elija “Smoke Morore and Elias “Stack” Moore 

Haliee Steinfeld as Mary

Miles Caton as Sammie

Jack O’Connell as Remmick

Wunmi Mosaku as Annie

Jayme Laweson as Pearline

Omar Miller as Cornbread

Delroy Lindo as Delta Slim

Li Jun Li as Grace Chow 

Yao as Bo Chow.