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McCoy on Movies: Sinners

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Ryan Coogler, Michael B. Jordan turn in a near perfect Southern Gothic tale in SINNERS

The teaser poster for writer/director Ryan Coogler (Black Panther, Creed, Fruitvale Station) southern gothic horror thriller SINNERS. Credit: Alon Amir © All Right Reserved.

WATCH THE TRAILER HERE:

 

CAST: 

The Smokestack Twins Smoke and Stack (Michael B. Jordan)
Sammie a.k.a. Preacher Boy (Miles Caton))

Beatrice (Tenaj Jackson)

Mary (Hailee Steinfeld)

Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo)

Remmick (Jack O’Connell)

Annie (Wunmi Mosaku)

Grace (Li Jun Li)

Bo Chow (Yao)

Pearline (Jayme Lawson)

 

WRITER /DIRECTOR: Ryan Coogler

THE PLOT: Smoke and Stack (Michael B. Jordan) are twins who left their native Clarksville, Mississippi for a better life up north in Chicago long ago. Now, they are back and throwing around cash like it’s going out of style … For it seems that good fortune up north has led them back to Clarksville where they plan to open up their own juke joint. (It is 1932, after all.)

 

Their cousin Sammie a.k.a. Preacher Boy (Miles Caton) is a talented musician who’s pastor father (Saul Williams) has warned him about the perils of picking up the guitar he is fond of and playing secular music, a.k.a. the blues. But Sammie wants to follow his dreams, dreams which become stronger once he meets local legend Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo). Meanwhile, Smoke and Stack are building up their staff for their new venture, which, in addition to Delta Slim, includes local general store owners Grace (Li Jun Li) and Bo Chow (Yao), sharecropper Cornbread (Omar Benson Miller) and potions expert (and Smoke’s old flame) Annie (Wunmi Mosaku). Also hanging around is Mary (Hailee Steinfeld), a woman whose ethnic background has complicated her relationship with Stack, a.k.a. her former lover. Then again, Pearline (Jayme Lawson), a married woman in her own right, has caught the fancy of Sammie who is ready to let his little light shine.

 

All the parties find themselves in for an enjoyable opening night at Club Juke – until it isn’t. For once a man named Remmick (Jack O’Connell) comes a calling, their entire night is about to change … And all sinners will be punished for their deeds.

THE REVIEW: “No notes.” Those were the two words I texted a friend after finishing SINNERS, the latest collaboration between writer/director Ryan Coogler and his frequent muse, Michael B. Jordan. For in mixing in themes of music and its importance to the soul (literally), southern gothic themes relating to race and horror elements, Coogler’s latest film might be his best effort to date. For it is a cinematic experience of culture and storytelling that is a masterclass in creating and investing in characters and moments topped off with themes of love, loss and music.

Jordan has already staked his claim as one of Hollywood’s best young (aka under 40) talents; SINNERS finds him pulling off the remarkable task of playing twins and giving each enough depth to stand on their own. Whereas Stack is fast and smooth, Smoke is calculated, much more rough around the edges and yet both are passionate about their dreams and losses (as well as the impact of the women in their lives). Whereas Robert DeNiro’s recent turn as two mob bosses in The Alto Knights has been criticized by some as too much self-indulgence, it’s hard to imagine someone else turning in a dual performance that begs attention as much as Jordan does watching SINNERS. 

 

Likewise, whereas Steinfeld’s and O’Connell’s character could quickly become one dimensional, both – just like Mosaku as Annie – craft personalities that are intricate to Smoke and Stack’s respective stories. While most will come to SINNERS for Jordan as the headliner, it is newcomer Miles Caton that is the film’s center, both musically and in terms of many of the various themes explored during the film’s two hours and 17 minutes. Caton’s future should be as bright as his performance is memorable which, given all he asked to do in his feature film debut, is saying something.

There have been many great duos in history from Abbott & Costello to Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson … With SINNERS following their previous efforts (Fruitvale Station, Creed, Black Panther, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), Coogler and Jordan have proven yet again they can make fantastic cinema together, this time exploring a new realm while maintaining all the elements – humor, timing, emotion and captivating scenes – that made all their prior journeys together work. Is that because of Jordan flexing his prowess to bring Coogler’s vision to life or Coogler putting his actors in the best possible light to shine? It’s both – and that’s what makes SINNERS a top film so far in 2025. 

For like all of us, SINNERS may not be perfect, but it’s about as close to perfect as any human making a movie of its nature could hope to be. 

 

OVERALL RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):

 

 

McCoy on Movies: Creed III

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Michael B. Jordan’s directorial debut has flash but lacks true punch to be a true title contender

“This is my Wakan, er, ring!” Titular character Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) raises his fists in a scene from Jordan’s directorial debut CREED III. Credit: Eli Ade © 2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures. All rights reserved.
 WATCH THE TRAILER HERE:
DIRECTOR: Michael B. Jordan

KEY CAST MEMBERS: Michael B. Jordan, Jonathan Majors, Tessa Thompson, Mila Kent, Wood Harris, Thaddeus J. Mixon, Spence Moore II, Florian Munteanu and Phylicia Rashad

 

THE BACK STORY: The third installment in the Rocky spin-off franchise, Creed III finds titular character Adonis “Donnie” Creed enjoying the good life. He’s retired, his wife Bianca (Tessa Thompson) has become a gold record earning music producer and their daughter Amira (Mila Kent), save for one would-be bully at school, is seemingly happy.
But it wasn’t always this way.
You see, back in his troubled youth (portrayed by Thaddeus J. Mixon), Adonis had issues at a group home where he was living with his best friend Damian “Diamond Dame” Anderson (Jonathan Majors, played as a youth by Spence Moore II). Dame was an aspiring Golden Gloves champion … And then came the fateful night where everything changed. Fast-forward 18 years later and Dame, thanks in part to a decision made that aforementioned night and one later made by Adonis’ mother (Phylicia Rashad), isn’t remembered at all.
He will be, however – which is why he’s ready to show Adonis that while he may be the champ, there’s no nemesis like an old friend …

 

THE REVIEW:
As Jordan’s directorial debut, the positives about Creed III are that the film looks good visually, there are some  … interesting sequences (one in particular) and the action sequences are fine by the previous films’ standards.
Then there’s the actual movie itself as a story … And that’s when things seem to feel a bit punch-drunk.
Look, Rocky and Creed films are never going to be great with certain logic points, but there is one plot point that – if you think about it – derails the storyline and plot points for the latter half of the film. (The logic the characters exercise or, more often, don’t, makes turning your brain off necessary to get through it.) Likewise, there hasn’t been good defense by a boxer in a Rocky movie since, well, ever and the referees make the ones in the WWE (or, depending on your favorite football team, a certain spots league) look competent by comparison.
Those complaints aside, the main problem with Creed III is that despite some opportunities to maybe explore some topics that could have made the film feel unique or even poignant – the idea of black rage, misguided youth, the impact of parents on children among them. Unfortunately, Creed III instead comes across as another so-so Rocky movie (think Rocky V). This wouldn’t be the case, of course, if the characters’ had better logic. Seriously, the decisions the characters make often seem ludicrous at best with reasoning that feels just as silly as the choices themselves. That makes it hard to buy into much of the film itself, which, given the nature of the average Rocky/Creed film, is essential.
Let me put it another way. As a four decade (and counting) fan of “sports entertainment,” a.k.a. professional wrestling, the key to the enjoyment is (1) appreciating the athleticism of the performers that (2) makes it able for you to suspend your disbelief that the outcomes aren’t pre-determined. These are live action movies unfolding before your eyes. With Creed III, the film never reaches a point where you are able to do the latter. Sure, Jordan, Majors and co. are in phenomenal shape and look the part, but the film lacks an element that makes you go “all in” and buy completely into the story. On a positive note, Mila Kent is precocious as Amira and does a great job throughout the film all the way to setting up her own movie one day(?).
With Creed III, Michael B. Jordan shows he knows what a movie should look like, how a first, second and third act are supposed to work and how to add visual style to the final product. Unfortunately, the story is so … familiar and logically flawed that it’s just hard to want to go the distance with it. Again, there are points raised that could have developed into something more than the standard boxing fare. The film looks good stylistically, Jordan shows he has potential to deliver a good product … But the film just lacks the punch – pun intended – to deliver the knockout blow you would hope it would.
Creed III comes in with all the hype of a title contender … But in the end, the franchise’s championship days – however short they may have been – are behind it.
OVERALL RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):