How Metallica shaped Ryan Coogler's 'Sinners'
21 Apr 2025

Famed director Ryan Coogler, who has helmed the acclaimed Fruitvale Station, Creed, and Black Panther, recently revealed the inspiration behind his latest film, Sinners.

Coogler disclosed that he took a lot of inspiration from the legendary heavy metal band Metallica.

"I wanted the movie to have the simplicity - and simultaneously, the profound nature - of a Delta blues song," he told Tribune News Service.

Coogler sought Metallica's rhythm for 'Sinners'
Film inspiration

Coogler, an Oakland, California native, was largely influenced by the city's hip-hop scene, but it was Metallica that helped him shape Sinners's narrative structure.

The film, set in the early 1930s, features Michael B. Jordan as twin brothers Smoke and Stack, and mixes horror and vampires.

Coogler wanted the movie to embody "the contrast, variation and the inevitability of a great Metallica song."

Metallica's 'One' was a major influence
Musical influence

Specifically, Coogler cited Metallica's song One from their 1988 album ...And Justice For All as a major inspiration.

He explained the song starts with an "easy-listening solo" and then goes into an unexpected intensity that felt inevitable.

"The movie's basically that," he said, comparing the film's narrative to the song's structure.

'Sinners' blends genres to explore Black culture
Genre fusion

Sinners is an unusual mix of horror, blues music, and Black history. The film starts as a period drama in the Jim Crow South and later morphs into a supernatural thriller.

Coogler employs the vampire as the metaphor for Black culture's exploitation, how it has often been taken, used, and profited from, without respect.

The film also touches on the colonial power's threat to Black identity and creativity.

'Sinners' features standout performances by Jordan and others
Cast highlights

With Jordan pulling off a dual role as Smoke and Stack with a killer performance, the rest of the cast also features some big names.

Hailee Steinfeld as Mary, Delroy Lindo as Delta Slim, Wunmi Mosaku as Annie, and Miles Caton as Sammie, also add to the film's value.

Critics have appreciated Coogler's bold genre-blending and thought-provoking themes, further cementing him as an exciting filmmaker.

Sinners is running in cinemas.