Sinners (2025) Ryan Coogler - Movie Review

July 14, 2025 Posted in The Lord's Prayer / 2025 / Pastor Ted Giese / Temptation / Occult / Angels and Demons / Movie Review / issuesetc.org / Radio Interview

Sinners (2025) Director: Ryan Coogler, Writer: Ryan Coogler Stars: Michael B. Jordan, Miles Caton, Hailee Steinfeld, Omar Benson Miller, Jack O'Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Tenaj L. Jackson, Helena Hu, Yao, Li Jun Li, Delroy Lindo, Jayme Lawson, Dave Maldonado, Saul Williams, Buddy Guy, Runtime: 137min Rated: 14A (Canada) 13+ (Quebec) R (MPAA) for strong bloody violence, sexual content and language.

Listen here for audio of radio interviews about films from a Christian perspective with Pastors Ted Giese and Todd Wilken on IssuesEtc.org where Christianity meets culture.

In 1932 twin gangsters Elijah “Smoke” Moore & Elias “Stack” Moore (Michael B. Jordan) return home to Clarksdale, Mississippi supplied with almost everything needed to open an underground juke joint after double-crossing rival Italian and Irish gangs in Chicago, Illinois. Purchasing a derelict saw mill from a racist local landowner and finding a couple musicians including their nephew blues guitarist Sammie “preacher boy” (Miles Caton) the brothers set out to open up for business. The twins quickly become reacquainted with their old flames Mary (Hailee Steinfeld) and Annie (Wunmi Mosaku).

On opening night there’s a big plot twist: three vampires Remmick (Jack O'Connell), Bert (Peter Dreimanis) and Joan (Lola Kirke) show up at their front door looking to join in the music. From there everything falls apart and spirals into chaos leaving a trail of mayhem and death in its wake.

In this interview Pr. Giese covers some of the influences behind Coogler’s “Sinners” from Walter Hill’s “Crossroads” (1986) with Ralph Machio to Robert Rodriguez’s “From Dusk Till Dawn” (1996) written by Robert Kurtzman and Quentin Tarantino. With each and every character depicted in one way or another as sinners Coogler includes a recitation, from memory, of 1 Corinthians 10:13 by the films blues guitarist Sammie, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” Giese talks about this Scriptural quote in relation to the warning Sammie receives from his preacher father, “You keep dancing with the devil... one day he’s gonna follow you home.” The question is what does writer/director Coogler thinks “the way of escape,” should be? Find out what Giese thinks Coogler's answer is and hear his pastoral concerns especially the way the Lord's Prayer is used by Coogler.

Rev. Ted Giese is lead pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada; an award-winning contributor to The Canadian Lutheran and movie reviewer for the “Issues, Etc.” radio program. Follow Pastor Giese on Twitter/X @RevTedGiese. Check out our Movie Review Index!