Michael B. Jordan has arrived, at least for those who haven’t watched films in either the Creed or Black Panther franchises. For many, Jordan first arrived with his breakout role in Ryan Coogler’s 2013 film Fruitvale Station, the true story of Oscar Grant, a 22-year-old black man who is on the straight and narrow with his girlfriend and young after spending time in prison, only to be caught up in a 2008 altercation following a night that ended in tragedy after watching New Year’s Eve fireworks in San Frnacisco that ended in tragedy. Jordan’s sympathetic performance as a man wronged by a system that seemed determined to persecute him before knowing all the facts leaves the viewer feeling angry and distraught at the film’s conclusion. It could have earned Jordan his first Academy Award nomination. Twelve years later, he is still searching for that Oscar nomination that will add him to an exclusive list of Hollywood’s elite.

Jordan and Coogler (who teamed together on Creed and Black Panther) reunite in Sinners, a film that will undoubtedly earn each of their much-deserved first Oscar nomination. Sinners could earn as many as ten or more Academy Awards, a feat earned by fewer than 15 films, and something that almost no film has done with a release before “Oscar Season.” With an April release, Sinners gave us hope that 2025 would be an excellent year in movies and, more importantly, movie theaters. While 2025 proved to be an average year for films, it didn’t translate into substantial box office numbers for most films. In fact, many of the other films that will earn Oscar nominations had very limited releases or had short shelf lives on the big screen before moving to streaming services. Sinners was an exception. It earned $280 million domestically on a $90 million budget. Of the likely Best Picture-nominated movies, only Avatar: Fire and Ash and Wicked: For Good will surpass Sinners’ domestic numbers. As a standalone film, not part of or a branch of a franchise, no other 2025-released film will come within $100 million of it domestically. While F1: The Movie will earn more internally, its United States box office gross was just under $180 million. All that is to say that there is still a desire to see original films in the theater, so long as they are worth the time and effort. Sinners, and to its credit (though I didn’t love it), F1: The Movie are the two best 2025 examples.

Comparisons of Sinners will be made to the Robert Rodriguez 1996 film From Dusk Till Dawn. If you know, you know, and won’t say anything more if you’ve never seen that film or know its premise, lucky you! For those who have, there are many differences, some of which are subtle, some of which are not. Regardless, there is a reason Sinners is likely to earn many, many accolades, while From Dusk Till Dawn was not.

Jordan pulls double duty in Sinners, starring as brothers Smoke and Stack, war veterans who return from their overseas duty to join Al Capone’s Chicago bootlegging operation. Returning to their native Mississippi, dripping with money, purchasing a rundown sawmill from a racist white man, and opening an informal gathering place for local black people, rich with music and Irish beer. As their juke joint inches closer and closer towards its opening, they continually struggled to ensure their establishment offered attendees refuge from the Jim Crow–era racism of 1932. At one point, Smoke shoots two of the men attempting to rob him of his alcohol, one in the leg and one in the ass, to show his prowess and scare others from trying to do the same. Quickly, the brothers establish their reputation as people not to mess with. Stack recruits Sammie (Miles Caton), an aspiring blues musician, then tracks down another old friend, Cornbread (Omar Miller – The Express, 8 Mile), hiring him away from a cotton plantation to serve as security. The plot continues to unfold similarly, with the brothers and their new partners facing opposition as they establish themselves and their business in the Deep South.

Though they share a similar vision and goals, the two brothers differ, and Coogler initially reveals this before allowing the audience to see their divergent personalities and tendencies. Rash and spontaneous, Smoke indulges in reckless behavior, yearning for a reason to exist in a time in our nation’s history that looks for any reason to deny him pleasure and purpose. Stack, on the other hand, is tactical, deliberate, and purposeful. While Smoke is reckless, Stack remains calm, restrained, and controlled, looking past immediate gratification. He’s a forward thinker, looking at the longer-term goals of protecting his business in an environment that wants to destroy it.

Hailee Steinfeld (Begin Again, True Grit) co-stars as Mary, a former lover of Stack who draws particular attention to the other characters, being a white woman who was once with a black man, and continues to be an influential part of his life. Mary is integral to our story, as her mere presence accelerates conflict without needing violence or spectacle. The white racists are filled with hate for her association with the brothers, inciting them to shut down their business and drive them out of their town at any cost.

Music is integral to our story. It establishes itself as the film’s centerpiece and serves as a key component throughout. Many of the film’s most tender and hopeful moments feature a quiet acoustic guitar, a whispering piano with lightly stroked keys, or gently touched hand percussion, carrying sorrowful yet hopeful tones. During the movie’s more turbulent moments, there is a dramatic shift to a menacing, emotionally charged composition, alerting the audience that danger is either lurking or that our characters are about to become unhinged.

With all of that said, Sinners takes a turn a little more than halfway through, first creating a sense of panic before recasting it as an almost entirely different and, at times, unrecognizable movie. I won’t touch on this in this review, except to say that film purists will love it, while audience reaction might be mixed, which is understandable. Many will be confused and, maybe even cheated, by how the movie unfolds, as it is a shift that will feel far different from the vast majority (perhaps even all) of films they’ve seen. It caught me entirely off guard. I wasn’t sure of what to think until after leaving the theater. It took quite a bit of processing and research to understand what Coogler was trying to say. And while I know there are still many underlying themes and innuendos, I’m comfortable with the takeaways I understood. Sinners clearly established itself as something that will receive multiple rewatches over the years. It’s a top-five film of 2025 and could vie for the top spot as I keep thinking about and comparing it with the other great movies of the year.

Plot 10/10
Character Development 9.5/10
Character Chemistry 9.5/10
Acting 9.5/10
Screenplay 9/10
Directing 9/10
Cinematography 9.5/10
Sound 9.5/10
Hook and Reel 9.25/10
Universal Relevance 9.25/10
95%

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