Salt in Wound

4.5 stars out of 5

Coogler and Jordan are a dream team: Fruitville Station, Creed, and, my people are telling me that Michael B. Jordan was also in Black Panther. So when I saw they teamed up once again for Sinners, I knew I’d see the movie right away. And I did; it just took me a little while to write the review, sorry.

Ryan Coogler again does double duty as writer and director, and, not to be outdone, Jordan plays twin brothers. Jordan does a terrific job in this movie, yet I must still give the 2025 Playing Two Main Characters in the Same Movie award to Robert De Niro in Alto Knights. Though one twin here is wilder and flashy and the other more subdued, Coogler and Jordan often let different color clothes do the big work of telling the brothers apart.

Before going any further, I should ask if you like horror movies. If you don’t, you can skip this movie. But if you do, this is a good one, this is a fun one, this is a 4-stars-out-of-5 one. It does take a little while for the scares to get underway (albeit after a cool opening scene where you’re thinking “um hey what’s going on here”). But that is A-OK because it’s the “other stuff” in this film that raises it to another level.

It’s the early 1930s in the Mississippi Delta. Twins Smoke and Stack have returned from Chicago with an ill-gotten bankroll, their intention to open a juke joint for their old community. They recruit their young cousin Sammie to be the joint’s guitarist (Miles Caton in a breakthrough performance), against the protestations of his father the preacher. That type of music lures in evil! Spoiler alert: Oh boy does it! On piano they sign up wise older guy Delroy Lindo. Now, I don’t know if it’s normal for, every time he appears on-screen, me to say myself, “Delroy Lindo!” but that is what I surely did.

So, you have religion vs. sin, obviously. And city v. country. And don’t think for a second we weren’t going to cross paths with racism and discrimination. We do. And we go a little deeper into it: Areas of the south where it might be smarter for a black man to play his trade. And how about Stack’s ex, Haillee Steinfeld, who can pass as white.

It all comes to a boil when a trio of white instrument-toting travelers (led by a very good Jack O’Connell) come by, hoping for an invite in. WATCH OUT, THEY ARE SUPERNATURAL BEINGS! Then things really get nuts.

Music plays a huge role in this story. There is a performance by Miles Caton that is absolutely hypnotic, placing the blues securely in its place in the history — past, present, and future — of black music. And those occult crackers nearly match him with a rousing Irish traditional number. Do not forget this score and these songs at Oscar time.

If all that wasn’t enough, Coogler — having pushed past the two-hour mark — goes full Tarantino, and then still has another trick up his sleeve. This is quality, highly entertaining moviemaking, my friends.