Note: Starting in January 2025, we began publishing long-form DVD reviews written by GFPL staffers. The DVDs are all available to check out at the Library, or from one of our Partner Libraries. We post a new review each month! Come back next month to find the next review.

Sinners is a fresh take on the vampire genre that grabs you immediately and doesn’t let go

Review by Chris, Library Clerk

There are legends of people born with the gift of making music so true. It can pierce the veil between life and death, conjuring spirits from the past and the future. In ancient Ireland, they were called Filí. In Choctaw land, they called them fire keepers. And in West Africa, they’re called griots. This gift can bring healing to their communities, but it also attracts evil.

Sinners opens with this monologue, accompanied by engaging music and stark imagery to draw in the viewer and ends with the camera focusing on a painted reflection of a pair of eyes. To say that my interest was grasped within this opening moment would be an understatement.

I came into this movie with no expectations. I only had seen a single trailer and I knew that it was directed by the talented Ryan Coogler, who directed Black Panther and its sequel for Marvel. He pulled the rug out from under my feet with Sinners, a beautifully crafted southern gothic vampire movie.

Michael B. Jordan, Miles Caton, and Wunmi Mosaku are truly the headlining stars of the cast in my eyes. Every time one of them was on the screen they ate the scene up and made it theirs. However, this movie couldn’t exist without its supporting cast as well. Delroy Lindo, Jayme Lawson, Li Jun Li, and Hailee Steinfeld all bring significant substance and depth to their characters.

Having sung the praises of the cast members that make up our protagonists, I can’t ignore the significance of what Jack O’Connell did in bringing the villain, Remmick, to life. While Remmick embodies what you would expect from a villainous vampire. Jack’s acting made him feel much more grounded, especially since he is portraying a supernatural being. Without spoiling anything, Remmick has a deeper connection to the current environment that the protagonists reside in than what the viewer would expect.

In regard to the cinematography, everything hits the mark. From wide panoramic shots of the cotton fields, to the sun shining in the sky, or even watching as the sun starts to set when we get the first glimpse of our villain. Every scene carries immense beauty and life in it.

Sinners also contains some of the most beautiful music that I’ve heard in a movie in recent memory. They really captured the feeling of the blues, Irish folk songs, jazz, soul, and gospel music all in one fell swoop. I hope to hear more from composer Ludwig Göransson in the future.

All in all, I really hope that this movie is loved for what it is. And remember, as Cornbread says in the movie, be kind to one another.