Sinners: a southern gothic blockbuster hit
I've seen films in 70MM. I've seen them in IMAX. But Sinners, at Coogler's recommendation, was my first experience of both in one.
And what a vision…
Sinners, written and directed by Ryan Coogler, masterfully tackles more than a dozen layered themes in a purposeful and elegant film for the ages. The narrative begins in Clarksdale, Mississippi, on October 15, 1932. The Moore brothers, Elias and Elijah, aka Smoke and Stack, returned to Clarksdale after the First World War and before the start of their criminal careers in Chicago. Having purchased a warehouse from Hogwood, a Klan leader, the brothers found out that their enterprise was about far more than business. The actual historical background is mixed with fictitious elements of the supernatural by Coogler to allow for presentations from the otherworldly against the background of historical trauma.
The first part journeys to the Jim Crow South and plays like a time machine, setting up elements that later evolve into a deadly vampiric massacre. The cinematography provides a fresher gaze at the Deep South, adding to the storytelling and enhancing its Gothic features. It’s stunning and you can tell almost immediately, this film will be heavy with history.
The first hour introduces relatives and friends connected to the Moore brothers. Sammie, a preacher's son and cousin of the twins, struggles to balance his faith with a growing interest in secular music. Annie, a hoodoo practitioner, uses her spiritual knowledge to protect and heal while Mary, biracial and emotionally connected to Smoke, deals with her complicated past. All characters within a white supremacist system strive to find their ways to survive. Some depend on some form of Christian faith, spiritual practice, or sheer will. Grace and Bo Chow sell groceries to Black and white citizens of their town, in separate stores. Cornbread worked in the fields all his life, while Delta Slim enjoyed chasing after beer and music.
The second act depicts the biggest challenges for each character. The twins Stack and Smoke come back to confront a known enemy in Mississippi, only to be faced with haunting memories, identity crises, and temptations, as well as horrifying and deadly supernatural attacks. Real-life issues confront the characters in supernatural manifestations. A night of music, blues, and dancing in Clarksdale turns into a fierce cosmic duel, a life-and-death struggle between the living and the dead. One is on the side of communion, while the other has an appetite for blood.
"You keep dancing with the devil; one day, it's gonna follow you home."
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But chaos means something. And the most haunting blow doesn’t come from a vampire. Grace Chow is like an extended family member but chooses self-preservation when her daughter is threatened, revealing the lack of care that served as a catalyst for bloodshed. To Grace, Black lives were profitable until they became inconvenient. In a world like this, the true horror is the quiet power of those who benefit from injustice and disappear when it demands accountability.
The film does a great job of bringing each character to life. in Sinners we see how the natural gifts and spirit of Black people, especially Sammie, are sought after by both humans and the supernatural, across cultures. Some are driven by white supremacy and the pursuit of power while others like Remmick (Jack O’Connell), are pulled in for different reasons. He acknowledges the mistreatment of Black folks but believes their spiritual connection to the earth might help him reconnect with his own family, who he’s been separated from for ages. In their rootedness, Remmick sees something he’s lost...and so the war begins. By the end of the film, the living is left to reconcile surviving a spiritual war that’s beyond comprehension, while the rest are forced to face their fate. Those two days in Clarksdale, Mississippi feel symbolic of so much more. And since we're here, maybe wrapping these themes inside a fictional vampire story helps non-Black audiences sit with the weight of the Black experience in the old South. Because sometimes, truth hits harder when it’s hiding in plain sight.
How many could survive what Black people have endured?
Sinners doesn’t lack symbolism, backstory, or emotional weight. Even in something as simple as Delta Slim reflecting on his family’s past, the story plays through a car radio—an artistic choice that might go unnoticed but speaks volumes about Coogler’s attention to detail. Cinema is a powerful thing, and Ryan Coogler, backed by a strong and intentional crew, brings to life a layered story that will be unpacked for years to come.
Everyone's a sinner in this world. We're flawed, surviving, sometimes reaching for something just out of our grasp. That was the core of this film and why audiences everywhere have felt it's impact. It's clear Sinners is a labor of love and Coogler doesn’t just entertain. He remembers, researches, reclaims, and reimagines history while asking us to confront what we carry, what we bury, and what still haunts us till this day. And what a vision, indeed.
Sing, Unburied, Sing.
(This was more of an analysis than a review, but I hope you enjoyed and share your thoughts on Sinners, in theaters now. Get your tickets here. Do yourself a favor and get a 70MM IMAX ticket)
NOVEMBER|ELEVENTH RATING
4.5 STARS
