Genre-bending ‘Sinners’ is already one of 2025’s best films

The words of Linda Martell – the first commercially successful Black female country artist – sum up the ethos of Beyoncé’s Grammy-winning album Cowboy Carter: “Genres are a funny little concept, aren’t they?”

While Beyoncé’s eighth album, released in 2024, is predominantly a country record, it’s infused with other genres such as pop, blues, R&B, and even electronica.

A year later, Martell’s statement would take a cinematic form through director Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” – a genre-defying blockbuster that resists being pinned down to a single category. Some call it a Western epic, others say it’s horror. Some argue it’s a comedy, while a few even classify it as a musical, much to the chagrin of the genre’s critics.

Whatever genre it fits into, both Beyoncé and Coogler offer unapologetically Black stories that trace their roots through music, and how that underscores much of today’s pop culture.

Set throughout one night in 1932, Coogler’s two-and-a-half-hour film stars frequent collaborator Michael B. Jordan as twins Smoke and Stack Moore. The brothers return to their Mississippi hometown from Chicago to open a juke joint (a bar owned and operated by African Americans).

They reunite with their cousin Sammie (Miles Caton), a preacher’s son who’s discouraged from pursuing music due to its “sinful nature,” and with their respective estranged wives Annie (Wunmi Mosaku) and Mary (Hailee Steinfeld), the latter of whom is white-passing.

They also assemble a crew: their childhood friend Cornbread (Omar Miller) becomes the joint’s bouncer; Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo) is the pianist; Sammie’s love interest Pearline (Jayme Lawson) as its singer; and a Chinese couple Grace and Bo Chow (Li Jun Li and Yao) as their supplier.

Their opening night takes a dark turn when a group of white musicians arrive, claiming they want to play. In reality, they’re vampires led by Irish immigrant Remmick (Jack O’Connell), who recruits two Ku Klux Klan members to his growing horde, drawn in by Sammie’s transcendent performance.

Sensing danger, the crew tries to survive the night as Remmick and his followers become increasingly persuasive in seeking entry, echoing the classic vampire rule that they can’t enter someone’s home unless invited.

Though the story feels intimate, the scope of “Sinners” is grand – a trademark of Coogler, who previously helmed “Black Panther” and “Creed.” For such contrasting tones to work, it all comes down to the writing, and Coogler, also the screenwriter, tackles both themes and character arcs with flawless precision.

At the heart of the film is Sammie, whose struggle to either renounce or embrace his musical talent anchors the story as the conflict stems from the film’s opening narrative: playing music this powerful might invite demons.

Sammie draws strength from his cousins, Smoke and Stack, to help him become a confident man, as well as from Pearline, whose love deepens his bond with music.

Meanwhile, Smoke and Stack seek redemption, trying to reconcile with the wives they left behind. Annie, who believes her occult knowledge protects their twin sons after losing their infant, uses it to fight off the vampires. Mary wrestles with her identity as a white-passing woman and what that means for her relationship with Stack.

Remmick is a compelling antagonist – malicious, yet deeply wounded. Discriminated against for being Irish, he yearns for a community that accepts him. But after enduring abuse, he becomes an abuser himself, forcibly recruiting others against their will, highlighting the cycle nature of oppression.

The film tackles racial dynamics in 1930s America, during the Jim Crow era, with a skillful touch that avoids being preachy and instead encourages thoughtful reflection. Coogler trusts the audience to read between the cultural context and engage in conversation about the film’s themes about minorities in America.

With a brilliant score by Ludwig Göransson, “Sinners” uses music as both a plot device and thematic pillar, showing how blues, a cornerstone of Black music, evolved into genres like R&B, country, hip-hop, and pop, which now dominate global culture.

The cinematography is nothing short of breathtaking. Shot on large-format film with help from Christopher Nolan, Coogler and Filipino-American cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw captures a sweeping Western aesthetic that seamlessly transitions as the film shifts genres midway, maintaining cohesion and reinforcing why this is a film best experienced on the big screen.

Every actor holds their own. Jordan gives distinct performances as the twin brothers, while Steinfeld delivers a thoughtful portrayal of a woman grappling with abandonment and privilege, and Mosaku embodies a woman using grief and mysticism as her power.

But it’s Miles Caton who steals the show. Like his character Sammie, he is the emotional center of the film: his youthful innocence gradually replaced by the harsh, but necessary wisdom of adulthood, portrayed with care and subtlety.

2025 may have just begun, but “Sinners” is already being hailed as one of the year’s best films – and it’s easy to see why. Coogler’s masterful storytelling through several genres that celebrate Black music and identity will be discussed for years to come, backed by an exceptional score and a heartfelt cast performance. Five stars out of five.