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An enjoyable period-piece anchored by strong performances and haunting music, “Sinners” endears itself to the viewer before the huge tonal shift in the final act of the film. The plot seems simple enough as two twin brothers work to setup opening night for their juke joint. The characters and their world feel lived-in and backstories that are explained just enough make this plotline interesting. But there’s just enough of a foreboding presence in the background that it’s not totally jarring when the story shifts gears into a full-on horror film. While the third act does have some unavoidable similarities to “From Dusk Till Dawn,” the characters are all fleshed-out enough that the audience is invested more invested in their fates. Music features heavily in the story, and the period-specific style works just as well in the modern era. All the actors do a great job, and even though Michael B. Jordan successfully makes the twin brothers he plays feel like two different people, in the back of your mind you know it’s still just the same person. There is a mid-credit scene, and it is the actual ending of the film, not just something tacked on.
*** out of *****