How could that be 12 months? A year just went by faster than ever, but these films will stand the test of time.
Steve
Laura Delaney says: Based on Max Porter's best-selling 2023 novella Shy, Netflix's classroom drama Steve is a darkly funny and unflinchingly honest portrayal of young men trapped in a broken system. Written by Porter himself, the lean 90-minute feature, set over a single night in the mid-'90s, offers an intimate snapshot of adolescents at a last-chance reform school facing closure. Abandoned by society, the classmates lean on headmaster Steve (Cillian Murphy) as their last line of defence. But the war he's fighting is much closer to home. Director Tim Mielants, who previously collaborated with Murphy on Small Things Like These, deftly draws the viewer deep into his characters' emotional worlds through intimate camerawork, slow zooms, and minimal lighting, amplifying the sense of abandonment and intense unease. Murphy's role as a producer through his company, Big Things Films, underscores his evident passion for the project, and he delivers a gold-star turn with a deeply introspective portrayal of a man whose faith in the system he serves has been shattered. His young co-star Jay Lycurgo also commands the screen as the aforementioned Shy - raw, restrained, and truly unforgettable.
Marty Supreme
Sarah McIntyre says: Bracingly intense, immensely stressful, and relentlessly propulsive - ping-pong drama Marty Supreme is less of a traditional sports movie than a captivating character study wrapped up in a chaotic caper. Filmmaker Josh Safdie, known for the nerve-shredding crime thrillers Good Time and Uncut Gems, which he co-directed with his brother Benny, directs from a screenplay he co-wrote with his longtime collaborator Ronald Bronstein. Marty Supreme has a similarly back-to-the-wall, pedal-to-the-floor pace as his previous works, complete with the trademark Safdie brand of verisimilitude - achieved with a combination of cinematographer Darius Khondji's stunning 35mm film work, production designer Jack Fisk's gorgeously recreated 1950s sets, and the ingeniously cast ensemble of actors. Timothée Chalamet is Marty Mauser, a born hustler and preternaturally gifted ping-pong player, loosely based on real-life American table tennis champion Marty Reisman. Chalamet, famously "in pursuit of greatness", is in full swing here, and he puts in a relentlessly focused, impressively indefatigable performance. Marty Supreme lands its shots with precision, and in the end is a nerve-jangling triumph.
A Real Pain
John Byrne says: Jesse Eisenberg has done the world a favour with this movie. At a time when empathy seems to be diminishing across the globe, he's delivered a touching, intelligent, funny, and achingly sad tale of love, loss, and grief. As well as writing, directing, and co-producing A Real Pain, Eisenberg also stars alongside the Oscar-winning Kieran Culkin. They play cousins, David (Eisenberg) and Benji (Culkin), who head from New York to Poland to visit a concentration camp and the birthplace of their recently deceased grandmother. The two cousins are chalk and cheese. While David is a classic New York neurotic mix of suppressed anxiety and self-restraint, Benji is charmingly affable, emotionally unstable, and annoyingly candid. It's rare that a film can be this funny while also heartbreaking, so kudos to Eisenberg for striking an impressive balance that augurs well for his future behind a camera. He also puts in a fine acting shift. But Kieran Culkin casts an enormous emotional shadow here and shows that his portrayal of Roman Roy in Succession will not be a career-defining role. I cannot recommend this film highly enough. I insist you watch it. It will improve your life.
A Complete Unknown
Alan Corr says: Timothée Chalamet is the young Bob Dylan in this entertaining look through Dylan's back pages. Director James Mangold has been here before with his sturdy 2005 Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line, and A Complete Unknown's packed supporting cast includes Boyd Holbrook as Cash; Edward Norton as fatherly keeper of the folk flame Pete Seeger; Monica Barbaro as Dylan's folk foil Joan Baez; Dan Fogler as Dylan's pugilistic manager Albert Grossman; and Elle Fanning as Sylvie - a stand-in for Dylan's real-life early Sixties partner Suze Rotolo. Naturally, it's Chalamet - performing a total of 40 Dylan songs - who is the centre of attention and the main cause of friction. While Dylanologists will point newcomers in the direction of the documentaries Eat the Document and Don't Look Back, A Complete Unknown is a superior and well-constructed biopic that never forgets that it is all about the music. Chalamet, springing up here and there like a jack in the box, does a good job of capturing Dylan as what he always was and always will be - completely unknowable.
Girls & Boys
Bren Murphy says: After the global success of Normal People, it's baffling that we weren't inundated with more complicated Trinity student romances on screen (the literary world certainly got its share). But finally, here we are with Girls & Boys. And while the Normal People comparisons are inevitable, rest assured this low-budget Gen Z meet-cute is its own beast. It's Halloween night in Dublin, and Trinity students Charlie (Liath Hannon) and Jason (Adam Lunnon-Collery) bump into each other at a college party. On the surface, the two have very little in common: Charlie is an aspiring filmmaker, an outwardly confident trans girl with a Super 8 camera, while Jason is a rugby player dressed as the "arrogant jock." He is surprised but unfazed when he learns Charlie is trans, and the two click effortlessly. When the party is broken up by the Gardaí, they set off on a mini-odyssey through the city, slowly learning more about each other. You can sense the twist bubbling under the surface, and when it finally arrives, the audience is asked to suspend disbelief quite a bit, but the two leads keep the story grounded and engaging right up to the credits. An impressive and immersive debut from Donncha Gilmore, one that lingers in the mind for days afterwards.
Maria
Laura Delaney says: Chilean director Pablo Larraín's final chapter in his unofficial arthouse trilogy of 20th-century women haunted by public tragedies - Maria follows Jackie (2016) and Spencer (2021) - beautifully marches to its own beat. In her first leading role in over a decade, Angelina Jolie plays Maria Callas, the American-born Greek soprano famed for her stellar voice and her far-from-pitch-perfect private life. Set over Callas's final week in Paris - she died in 1977, less than three months shy of her 53rd birthday - Larraín's film is a heart-rending portrait of a woman who is self-destructive yet self-aware. Shot by Ed Lachman (Erin Brockovich, Carol) and written by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, this 124-minute biopic often feels like a fever dream, giving us a fleeting glance at the majesty and tragedy of Maria's life via prescription drug-induced hallucinations and immersive flashbacks in stark black-and-white. More than half a year of vocal training was required for Jolie's own singing voice to be blended harmoniously with that of Callas's - a task that contributes significantly to this exquisitely calibrated piece of filmmaking. "I don't want to go just yet," Callas tells her pianist midway through the movie. A sentence that will strike a chord with viewers long after the credits play out.
One Battle After Another
John Byrne says: There was a fair bit of hype in the run-up to the release of Paul Thomas Anderson's latest movie, inspired by Thomas Pynchon's novel Vineland. Steven Spielberg, no less, saw it three times and heaped praise. "What an insane movie, oh my God," he said. "There is more action in the first hour of this than every other film you've ever directed put together. Everything, it is really incredible." And he's right. Only thing is, I'd go further than the first hour. This film is relentless. There's barely a pause for breath during its 162 minutes. Which, in itself, is remarkable. One thing, though: you have to swallow the script whole, or it'll spoil your enjoyment. There are implausible moments, silly moments, even nonsensical moments. They must all be embraced. An impressive Leonardo DiCaprio leads the cast as 'Ghetto' Pat Calhoun/Bob Ferguson, a washed-up former member of a revolutionary group known as the French 75, whose past comes back to haunt him... The last 30 minutes or so of One Battle After Another is pure chef's kiss. I just didn't want this story to end. Spielberg won't be the only one coming back to see this marvellous movie again and again.
The Brutalist
Harry Guerin says: An operatic study of the personal and the political, creativity and capitalism, The Brutalist tells the story of László Tóth (Adrien Brody, winning his second Best Actor Oscar in March), a Hungarian architect who survives the Holocaust and comes to the United States to rebuild his life. There, László is hired by industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce) and is finally reunited with his wife Erzsébet (Felicity Jones) as he pursues the American Dream and work that will stand the test of time. We could be here a lot longer than the 3.5-hour duration waxing lyrical about what writer-director Brady Corbet, his co-writer and partner Mona Fastvold, their cast, and crew have achieved here - on a budget of under $10 million. For your money, what you'll get is a decades-spanning odyssey that frequently wrongfoots you with its intimacy, has plenty of mystery, and which, despite its duration, is pacier than many a film of half the length. Perhaps you'll think the finale is perfect, or perhaps it will be your only 'if only' as the credits roll. The one thing, the most important thing, that won't be up for debate, however, is that this is a landmark work in modern cinema.
The Naked Gun
Sarah McIntyre says: Is this the silliest film you'll see this year? Oh, yes. Is it the funniest movie you'll see this year? Also, very likely, yes. The Naked Gun reboot, coming 31 years after the last instalment of the classic comedy trilogy, 1994's Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult, sees Liam Neeson taking over the mantle from the late, great Leslie Nielsen. The Ballymena native is Frank Drebin Jr, the bumbling, coffee-chugging leader of Police Squad and the son of Nielsen's comically inept detective. Directed by Akiva Schaffer, one-third of the hilarious comedy troupe The Lonely Island, The Naked Gun is extravagantly, unashamedly, preposterously silly. While the original films spoofed police procedurals, here Schaffer riffs on the later-career hard-guy, action-hero persona Neeson has carved out for himself since Taken. We knew Neeson had comedy chops after memorable cameos in Life's Too Short and Derry Girls, and he's in flying form here, especially in his scenes alongside a brilliantly cast Pamela Anderson. The Naked Gun is imbued with the spirit of the original films, and you're sure to watch the closing credits with a suitably goofy smile on your face.
September 5
Harry Guerin says: When it came to the snubs on the 2025 Oscars shortlist, this excellent docudrama received just one nomination - Best Original Screenplay - when it deserved a handful. It also deserves to be seen by the widest audience possible. We don't realise how much of the world that we now experience can be traced back to 5 September, 1972 - the date of the Munich Olympics massacre that saw 11 members of the Israeli team and a West German police officer killed. Five of the hostage-takers, members of the Palestinian militant organisation Black September, were shot dead during the failed rescue attempt. Told through the eyes of the on-air, Munich-based sports crew from US broadcaster ABC, this is relentless filmmaking from Swiss director and co-writer Tim Fehlbaum, where the audience doesn't get the chance to catch their breath as the questions keep coming - on screen and off. It's a superbly acted ensemble piece that rarely leaves the confines of the control room and, in terms of dynamics, owes much to Paul Greengrass's September 11 hijacking film, United 93. Once again, you find yourself watching a film where you know what the conclusion will be, but you still hope that somehow it will be different.
Eddington
Bren Murphy says: Eddington is a shocking and provocative tale of conspiracies and small-town politics gone wild as director Ari Aster continues to tackle subjects that send a shiver down the viewer's spine. This time, it's the year 2020. In the New Mexico town of Eddington, we meet Sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix), who is frustrated with the mask mandates that have just reached his sleepy, apparently Covid-free town. Joe pushes back, creating further friction with the progressive but smug mayor, Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal). Tensions escalate when Joe decides to run against the unopposed Ted for mayor. To do so, he embraces being the anti-Ted, anti-lockdown, anti-government, and pro-conspiracy candidate. Eddington's targets shift often. Both sides of the American cultural divide are skewered as the mayoral race quickly turns dirty, ideologies clash, and the political and cultural divide widens in a town that might be better off cut off from the rest of America and its problems. This is a razor-sharp satire with genuinely shocking moments and pitch-perfect performances, especially from Phoenix, whose volatile sheriff is a joy to watch. Who would have thought we'd get ever get a film that feels like a dystopian nightmare, but which is set only five years ago?
The Life of Chuck
Laura Delaney says: Horror master Mike Flanagan trades ghost stories for a surreal, heartfelt meditation on life and the traces we leave behind in his quietly powerful adaptation of Stephen King's 2020 novella. The 111-minute film unfolds in three acts told in reverse chronological order, beginning with a haunting 30-minute segment (Act III). The planet is in tatters - earthquakes and floods ravage through the landscape, and the internet is one Wi-Fi bar away from collapse. In the heart of the frenzy, cryptic signs and billboards celebrate a man named Chuck (Tom Hiddleston). Who is he - and why is the world falling apart as he fades? Starting as a slow-burning supernatural apocalypse, the story swiftly shifts into an intimate, fractured study of time and memory. The following two acts delve into pivotal chapters of Chuck's life: a single day in adulthood and his formative years with his grandparents (a stellar outing from both Mia Sara and Mark Hamill). Together, they illuminate what defined Chuck's uniqueness and how seemingly minor moments cast enduring shadows. It's best to leave the remainder of the story unspoiled. Suffice it to say,The Life of Chuck's gentle wisdom and bold originality land with a bang - a reminder that even the simplest life contains worlds. Thanks, Chuck!
The Ballad of Wallis Island
Harry Guerin says: Anyone who loves Local Hero, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, and The Holdovers needs to pitch up on Wallis Island. It's the home of Charles Heath (Tim Key), an 'endearitating' oddball who's about to have the ultimate fanboy experience by reuniting his favourite group, the folk duo of Herb McGwyer (Tom Basden) and Nell Mortimer (Carey Mulligan), for a gig on his doorstep. That's the easy part... Along with a backstage pass to life in all its messiness, there's a gorgeous backstory to The Ballad of Wallis Island that adds to the magic on screen. Eighteen years ago, co-stars and co-writers Basden and Key and director James Griffiths released a BAFTA-nominated short called The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island. Eventually, Basden and Key finally got around to writing a full comedy-drama in the lockdown era; they brought Mulligan's character into the mix, and along with the returning Griffiths have made a better film than they would've done if the cameras had started rolling in 2009. The performances are brilliant; it has the best of British humour mixed with lovely songs, and it also says a lot about making sense of the world and ourselves. As for the ending, well, just you wait...
Babygirl
Sarah McIntyre says: Babygirl is a raw, sexy, and surprising examination of an illicit affair between a high-powered CEO (Nicole Kidman) and her much younger intern (Harris Dickinson). The film, from writer and director Halina Reijn (Bodies Bodies Bodies), is broadly described as an "erotic thriller", but that doesn't begin to encapsulate the messy, confusing, and often amusing spectacle that follows. Here, the push-and-pull of the power dynamic between Kidman's Romy and Dickinson's Samuel is expertly realised and, crucially, non-judgemental. Kidman's performance is bold and vulnerable as she portrays a woman finding liberation as she yields to her basest desires. Dickinson, meanwhile, is utterly magnetic as her lover, imbuing a slightly opaque character with immense charm and depth. A pitch-perfect score and soundtrack, which most memorably includes George Michael's Father Figure, propels the action to intoxicating levels. Babygirl goes to unexpected places and leaves you wanting more. Succumb to its pleasures.
From Ground Zero
Bren Murphy says: This powerful collection of 22 short films made by Palestinians living through the Gaza war is a testament to the resilience of cinema itself. In Soft Skin, a group of children learn how to animate, creating a film about the nightmares they've been having since their parents began writing their names on their arms and legs. In A School Day, a young boy carries his schoolbag through rubble-strewn streets to visit his teacher's cardboard "gravestone". In Sorry Cinema, filmmaker Ahmed Hassouna recalls how his film won an award at a festival he could not attend. He has never even seen his work projected on a big screen, as there are no cinemas in Gaza. These are just a few of the poignant, and often heartbreaking, stories in this anthology. The mix of styles, documentary, and dramatisation can feel jarring, but perhaps that's intentional. There's no mention of Israel, Hamas, blame, or history. From Ground Zero is about ordinary people trying to survive while hoping for a better future. There is something profoundly hopeful about creating art while, as one participant in the opening short puts it, "destruction, ruin and death are consuming everything around me". That the film exists at all is remarkable, but, thankfully, it does much more than simply exist.
28 Years Later
Alan Corr says: Director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland mix the gory with political allegory and a touching family drama in this riveting zombie thriller. They have conjured up a fever dream of a film that somehow looks like a cross-pollination of Mike Leigh realism and the sickening surrealism of Straw Dogs and The Wicker Man. We are now on Holy Island off the northeast coast of England, 28 years after the accidental release of a highly contagious virus that caused the breakdown of society and turned infected folk into slavering maniacs with The Rage. This post-apocalyptic vision of ye olde merrie future England is something Nigel Farage might like without getting the actual satire. Bows and arrows are the weapon of choice; everyone is dressed in ragamuffin chic, and the island looks like it's devolved back to medieval England. Or maybe Féile '90. The closing sequence, which strangely reminded me of some groovy Sixties rock 'n' roll flick starring Oliver Reed, includes a crowd-pleasing cameo and sets things up smoothly for the next instalment. If it's as good as this acrid, kerosene-choked thrill ride, we're in for another treat.
Christy
Harry Guerin says: The feature debut of Cork director Brendan Canty - best known for the video for Hozier's Take Me to Church - is a slice-of-life story about a soon-to-turn-18 tearaway trying to find his way in the world after the worst of starts. Having been thrown out of his latest foster home, Christy (Daniel Power) moves in with his estranged brother Shane (Diarmuid Noyes) in Cork city. That's the set-up; what unfolds thereafter proves to be a real workout for the heart as Christy reaches the crossroads of just who he is meant to be. Temptations abound in writer Alan O'Gorman's script, but so too do the possibilities for real kinship and connection, beautifully conveyed by a great supporting ensemble that includes Emma Willis, Helen Behan, young Cork rapper Jamie Forde, and other members of The Kabin Studio, the team behind the breakout hit The Spark. A Grand Prix winner at the Berlin International Film Festival and Best Irish Film at the Galway Film Fleadh, Christy is a beautiful homegrown drama that now joins the best of company.
Black Bag
Sarah McIntyre says: Steven Soderbergh's slick, stylish, and endlessly entertaining Black Bag is equal parts spy thriller and marriage drama distilled into a taut 90-minuter. Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett head up the impressive ensemble cast as George Woodhouse and Kathryn St Jean, a very-much-in-love married couple who are both esteemed agents at Britain's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). A colleague assigns George to uncover a mole within the organisation who has let a top-secret device called Severus fall into the wrong hands, giving him a list with five names who may be responsible, including surveillance expert Clarissa Dubose (Marisa Abela), loose cannon Freddie Smalls (Tom Burke), bureau psychologist Zoe Vaughn (Naomie Harris), and Colonel James Stokes (Regé-Jean Page). Naturally, Kathryn's name is also on that list... While the twists and turns of the plot keep you guessing throughout, and Soderbergh's ruthlessly efficient editing means not a second of the 93-minute running time is wasted, what elevates Black Bag is the exploration of shifting allegiances and complicated interpersonal relationships between the colleagues and lovers. Fascinating stuff.
Friendship
Bren Murphy says: Forming new friendships as a middle-aged man is notoriously difficult, even when the men in question have a lot in common. In Friendship, we have two very different budding buddies. Craig (Tim Robinson) is a loudmouth; socially inept, and infuriatingly unaware of the fact that he's not witty, smart, or remotely pleasant to be around. Craig's new neighbour, Austin (Paul Rudd), is suave, charming, philosophical, and cool. Soon, adoration sets in... Fans of Tim Robinson's I Think You Should Leave will be happy to see familiar elements to Craig's character that overlap with characters in the Netflix sketch show - stubborn, socially clueless people who always say and do the wrong thing. That said, this is far from I Think You Should Leave: The Movie. Friendship exists in a much more grounded American indie-comedy world. Writer and director Andrew DeYoung has created the perfect vehicle for the skills Robinson has honed, one where he gets to explore the reality of his go-to I Think You Should Leave character archetype in a more naturalistic setting. This is a hilarious character study of delusion, inadequacy, and neediness, painfully real and hugely entertaining.
A Want in Her
Sarah McIntyre says: A Want in Her, Myrid Carten's immersive, deeply personal, and inventive debut feature film, sees the Donegal artist turn the lens on her fractured family - torn apart by grief, a contested inheritance, and her mother Nuala's struggle with alcoholism and mental illness. This is unlike any documentary you've ever seen before. Weaving intimate, increasingly challenging conversations with Carten's family with gorgeously sweeping, cinematic 16mm film footage of the beautiful, barren Donegal landscape, charming, strangely prescient camcorder tapes from her childhood, and shots of her work as a visual artist, the film takes a looping, non-linear examination of the effects of addiction on those closest to you. These are not easy themes, but Carten handles them with a deft touch, with moments of dark humour and an overriding sense of love and respect for those on the other side of the lens. At its heart, A Want in Her grapples with the idea of loving someone without losing yourself in the process, and it doesn't offer any pat answers to the thorny questions it poses.
I Swear
Harry Guerin says: Rings of Power star Robert Aramayo delivers a star-making turn in I Swear, and the next year will be the poorer if you don't find the time for it. This gem of a biopic tells the story of Tourette's campaigner John Davidson over 36 years, from the time his symptoms first appeared as a youngster in Scotland to when he was honoured with an MBE in 2019. Along the way, there is shocking heartache and bewilderment but also huge amounts of kindness and humour too. It's written and directed by Waking Ned and Nanny McPhee director Kirk Jones, who proves to have the perfect eye and ear for bringing Davidson's life to the screen in all its tough and tender truth. Behind the lens, the former TV ad man has made his best film, almost 30 years into his feature career. In front of the camera, Aramayo's work is worthy of an Oscar nomination. This really is a movie where you'll be laughing one minute and feel tears building the next.
Nosferatu
Sarah McIntyre says: Writer and director Robert Eggers had already proven himself to be a singular filmmaker with his preceding trifecta of films: folk horror debut The Witch (2016); towering triumph of a character study The Lighthouse (2019), and blood-soaked Viking epic The Northman (2022). His latest film, the long-gestating passion project Nosferatu, has solidified that reputation. Eggers has created an expertly realised reimagining of the iconic cinematic vampire, first brought to the screen by FW Murnau in the 1922 silent horror film Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, which was an unauthorised and unofficial adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel Dracula. Lily-Rose Depp leads the cast as Ellen Hutter, a young woman in early 19th-century Germany who has been haunted by the terrifying ancient vampire Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård) since she inadvertently summoned him as a lonely child. What unfolds is truly disturbing, with well-deployed jump-scares and judiciously timed moments of gore. While all of the cast members - among them Nicholas Hoult and Willem Dafoe - make an impression, it is no understatement to say that Depp, previously best known for the HBO television show The Idol and films Voyagers and Wolf, has a star-making turn. An intense, bleakly beautiful gothic horror.
Blue Road: The Edna O'Brien Story
Harry Guerin says: A celebration of the independent spirit, a fascinating study of hard-learned (and hard-earned) artistry, and a reminder that we are all mired in the utter chaos of life, Blue Road... gives the late Edna O'Brien her big-screen due and then some. It is one of the best documentaries of 2025 and hits the genre's bullseye: leaves you wanting to know more about its subject. There'll be another rake of books to add to that list, too. Indeed, this is as good an examination of a complicated hero resisting the mindset and manacles of 20th-century Ireland as any work of fiction. Co Clare-born O'Brien was a trailblazer who became a household name with her 1960 debut The Country Girls when, as she puts it, "literary success was a male preserve". Sure enough, all her books were banned here. Why stop there? There were burnings too... Narrated by Jessie Buckley from O'Brien's diaries and memoir, this film shows that you can be as tough as nails and vulnerable at the same time. As the song says, for each a road. Make sure you travel this one in the near future.
Sentimental Value
Bren Murphy says: Don't finalise your Favourite Films of 2025 list just yet. This Norwegian latecomer is a major contender. Joachim Trier's follow-up to the universally acclaimed The Worst Person in the World does not disappoint. Prestigious film director Gustav (Stellan Skarsgård) returns to Oslo after the death of his ex-wife in an attempt to reconcile with his now-adult daughters, Nora (Renate Reinsve) and Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas). Gustav wants actress Nora to star in his new film, written about his mother and her suicide. A suspicious Nora refuses, and Gustav finds a replacement in the shape of famous American actress Rachel Kemp (Elle Fanning). Now, if you like your drama with eruptions of big emotions and screaming, you are in the wrong place. This is a far more subtle drama, a story of microaggressions and barely noticeable expressions. It is the very real portrayal of family tension, the frustrations of artistic expression, the stunning performances of the central cast, and a heavy dose of warm, effortless humour that make Sentimental Value feel like a refreshing shower at the end of a mixed cinematic year. You will be thinking about it for weeks to come.
Sinners
Harry Guerin says: A genre rager, Sinners takes us back to 1932 Mississippi as hard-chaw twins Elijah 'Smoke' and Elias 'Stack' Moore (both played by Michael B Jordan) return to their old stomping ground to open a juke joint. Their ambitions for the place are bigger than the wad of dollar bills they're waving about in town, but, as the joke goes, if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans. Or maybe in this case, The Devil... Writer-director Ryan Coogler (Creed, Black Panther, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) arguably delivers his best film to date with this piledriver of a polemic, mixing myths, music, and mayhem from dusk 'til dawn. With Coogler's long-time leading man Jordan in fearsome front-and-centre form as the twins, Sinners is impeccably cast, serving up screen chemistry every bit as heady as anything Smoke and Stack can offer from behind the bar. We could have done with more of Jack O'Connell as in-the-shadows Irish villain Remmick (there's a spin-off movie just waiting to be made, ditto Nathaniel Arcand as the hunter we see near the start), and, indeed, Sinners could have added another 30 minutes onto its two-hour-plus running time and still had you on the hook. If you've yet to bear witness to this wild night, cancel your plans. And be sure to stick around for the post-credits sequence; it's one of the best of the lot.
