Sinners, set in 1932 Mississippi, follows identical twins Smoke and Stack (both played by Michael B. Jordan) as they return to their hometown to open a juke joint, Club Joke. After acquiring the premises from likely KKK members, the brothers recruit Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo) and their cousin Sammie (Miles Caton) as the joint’s musicians, with Cornbread (Omar Miller) providing muscle on the door. Expecting extreme racism from the former owners to ignite trouble on opening night, the group braces for the worst. Mary (Hailee Steinfeld), Stack’s ex-lover, and Annie (Wunmi Mosaku), Smoke’s ex-lover, add an engaging romantic subplot, but little do they know a group of vampires led by Remmick (Jack O’Connell) is plotting to derail the festivities entirely.

Written and directed by Ryan Coogler, the story of Sinners on paper is audacious and, quite frankly, wild. What Coogler delivers, however, is one of the most exhilarating and surprisingly heartfelt spectacles not just of the year, but perhaps of the decade so far. Part drama, part musical, part thriller, and part horror, Sinners has an enormous amount to juggle, and it would have been easy for it to collapse under its own ambition. Instead, Coogler blends the genres seamlessly, a feat that deserves immense credit.

The characters are superbly written and each is given moments to shine, something the cast fully capitalises on. Michael B. Jordan delivers a career-best performance in the dual role, easily ranking among the year’s strongest performances. The supporting cast is equally impressive, with Delroy Lindo and Wunmi Mosaku standing out thanks to some of the film’s most memorable moments. Jack O’Connell’s rise as the villain Remmick is fantastic, and one particular musical sequence may well be the best cinematic scene of the year.

Even the technical aspects of Sinners are equally astounding. The cinematography offers consistently striking visuals, the production design is impeccable, the costumes are jaw-dropping, and the editing is even noticeably brilliant. There should be absolutely no reason to be surprised to see the film nominated across a wide range of technical categories and even taking home more than a few awards.

With so much packed into a film like Sinners, there’s always the risk of things going wrong. Yet Coogler’s sensational filmmaking, combined with outstanding performances and one of the best scores of the year, ensures Sinners never wavers for even a single second cementing itself comfortably as one of the best movies of the year.