“Sinners”, a supernatural horror movie is a film directed by Ryan Coogler. Coogler is famous for directing the Black Panther movies, the Creed trilogy and more. He is known for exploring Black cultures through his movies. “Sinners” explores colonization and the Jim Crow era America. “Sinners” came out on April 18, 2025. With a budget of $90 million, the movie gross earning was more than $360 million. The movie revenue $48M opening weekend, breaking the box office record as a high-grossing original film. This movie has broken the Oscar’s record with 16 nominations.
“Sinners” may seem like a strange movie if you’re just reading the synopsis, and think it’s famous because of Michael B. Jordan and Hailee Steinfield. However, the movie is so much more than that. It takes a lot of critical thinking to get the movie. It may not click to you the first time you watched it, but the second or third time, it’ll make you realize why it got 16 Oscar nominations. Coogler blends supernatural elements, history and blues music in the 1930s Mississippi Delta.
The movie stars Michael B. Jordan as Elijah “Smoke” Moore and Elias “Stack” Moore twins, Hailee Steinfield as Mary, and Miles Caton as Sammie Moore. “Sinners” is actually Caton’s first movie, making it his acting debut.
In the beginning of the movie we see Sammie drive up to the church all bloodied, clothes ripped and distraught. In his hand he is carrying his guitar that is ruined. This leads to what happened the day before.
The Moore twins who are Mississippi-born WWI veterans who were also Chicago gangsters, return to the Jim Crow era in Mississippi. The Moore twins buy land from a white owner to open a juke, a safe haven with dancing, drinking and music. They recruit young talents, such as Sammie, their cousin who has a gift for singing and playing the guitar. However, Sammie’s father despises blues music. Sammie’s father is a pastor, so he views blues music as the devil’s music. Despite his father’s disapproval, Sammie follows his cousins to build the safe haven. At this point of the movie it feels like entrepreneurship but the movie slowly burns into something supernatural as we see a distraught man knocking on a couple’s door, who we later know as Remmick, who is played by Jack O’Connell. He convinces them to let him in as he says he’s in danger and bad people are coming for him. Later we see indigenous people knock on the couple’s doors, warning them about the man. The woman says she has seen nothing and closes the door on them. She makes her way throughout the house and sees that man eating her husband.
In the juke joint, Sammie’s music almost feels spiritual. Everyone is dancing, carefree of their surroundings. We see many cultures dance together and everyone is in their element. There is a community regardless of their racial differences. The three white people in the previous scene see this and make it their plan to destroy the community. They approach the juke joint strumming their instruments and singing a song that is different from what is being sung inside.
Cornbread,played by Omar Benson Miller, one of the slaves, sees them slowly approach the juke joint and calls the Smoke twins. Everyone inside the juke joint is opposed to letting them in despite letting Mary, a white woman, inside. Remmick sees Mary and asks why she was able to get in. Mary grew up in the same community as the Moore twins, she has history with Stack. Through her we have seen what the twins have lost and who they were as young boys. Remmick and the two others slowly go away still singing the Irish folk song.
The night continues with everyone enjoying their short freedom. Mary goes outside for a while and sees the three white people still there. She starts a conversation with them which leads to Remmick eating her. Later we see Mary enter the juke joint again and make her way to Stack. As we know by now that Stack is infatuated with Mary, he easily trusts Mary without knowing that she isn’t the same Mary he knows. This led to the vampire infestation. Everyone is fighting, there are blood and dead bodies everywhere. What was meant to be a safe haven for them, turned into the exact opposite.
This film isn’t just a horror movie. It is deeply rooted in American racial history. Its survival, ownership, and cultural identity built inside a system that denies all three. The Smoke twins building the juke joint represents freedom and something joyful even though outside they were to survive. The supernatural human beings weren’t just there for the horrors, they were there to represent colonization and oppression.
My biggest lesson from this movie is the importance of guarding our hearts, homes and our heritage. Many cultures outside of America are very collectivist. Hospitality is a core value, but “Sinners” makes us rethink the openness. Not everyone who knocks on our door deserves a place in our lives. I rate this movie 11/10 everytime. If I lost my memories tomorrow the first movie I would watch is this. I think many people of color would relate to this movie as every race has received oppression from white people in history. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but I think everyone should watch this movie once.
