director Ryan Coogler, and it is already being deemed the best in his career by many. Coogler made his debut with Fruitvale Station in 2013, a Sundance Film Festival darling that put him and Michael B. Jordan on the map. From there, he went on to tackle the Rocky franchise with the spinoff Creed, and then directed the two Black Panther movies. Sinners was his attempt at an original and (most likely) one-off storyline, and it was a triumphant effort.

Jordan plays twins Smoke and Stack in the movie, who return to their Mississippi hometown after spending years away in Chicago. Given his dual-character portrait, Jordan is getting the most attention for his performance in Sinners. But Sinners features an incredible ensemble cast including Omar Benson Miller, Miles Caton, Li Jun Li, Jayme Lawson, Wunmi Mosaku, Delroy Lindo, Jack O’Connell, and Hailee Steinfeld, all of whom are worth recognition. These great performances make them hard to rank, but there are still a few that are particularly standout.

9 Li Jun Li

Grace Chow

Grace is one of the characters who lives in Smoke and Stack’s Mississippi hometown. She is introduced pretty early on in the film, and from the start, her motivations are clear. While she runs a business to make money, Grace is closely connected with her husband and young daughter Lisa.

Some viewers argue that the nuance of Grace’s character, however, is flattened at one critical moment within the movie. In the film’s second act, Grace lets Remmick and his crew into Club Juke, jeopardizing her own and several others’ lives. This is a controversial script decision that ends up taking away from Li’s performance a bit, as it distills her whole character down to someone who will risk it all to save her daughter, and some of her otherwise nuanced character is lost.

8 Jack O’Connell

Remmick

Remmick is the first vampire that audiences ever see in Sinners. He is responsible for turning a white Klansmen couple into vampires early on in the film. As the trio eventually migrates to Club Juke, they bring with them Irish folk tunes and a sinister attitude as they try to lure people out of the club in order to turn them into the same horrible monsters that they are.

Remmick plays a critical role in Sinners, as he has to be the jumping-off point for the film's supernatural element. O'Connell does a competent job playing the deviously charming role. However, the part does not have to show the same kind of dynamic range as some of the other parts in Sinners. The actor serves his role in the story's horror aspect, even if the depth of the role is limited.

7 Jayme Lawson

Pearline

Pearline is part of a key secondary storyline as Sammie's love interest in the movie. Like Sammie, she is an incredible musician, providing her vocal talents to Club Juke after twins Smoke and Stack invited her into the world. While some actors in Sinners only need to provide acting talents, Lawson is among the subsects that also need to sing for the film.

The only flaw with Lawson's role is that she is not in it enough, because the actor provides a great performance as Pearline whenever she is on-screen.

Lawson has one solo in the film, singing "Pale, Pale Moon." She is not nearly the vocalist of someone like Caton, but the song nonetheless provides power and shows off the performer's impressive vocal range. She also plays a key role in Sammie's coming of age, as they spend a few meaningful hours together before Pearline is eventually turned by Remmick. The only flaw with Lawson's role is that she is not in it enough, because the actor provides a great performance as Pearline whenever she is on-screen.

6 Omar Benson Miller

Cornbread

It is almost impossible to compare the rest of the cast of Sinners. While Remmick is more one-note and Grace and Pearline have smaller roles, the other key characters in Coogler's film are so well-defined, fleshed out, and actualized on screen. Miller is no exception, as he plays a ing character but is nonetheless a scene-stealer.

Cornbread is a sharecropper and a bouncer, and while he is willing to speak up for himself, he often goes along with whatever Smoke and Stack tell him to do. Miller portrays a great sense of warmth and heart to the character that allows him to be instantly likable. This only makes things more effective when Cornbread is eventually turned into a vampire. Miller has played the character as endearing and trustworthy, so it's conceivable that the character would not believe he had nefarious intentions post-transformation.

5 Hailee Steinfeld

Mary

Mary is one of the most complex characters in Sinners. She is Stack's ex-girlfriend, and though of multi-racial origin, she es for white. This element of her identity gives her an elevated social status in some circles and causes people, like Remmick to view her differently than the other characters.

As such, Mary has to balance both an emotional story arc and carry the weight of many important themes in the film. Steinfeld, an Oscar nominee and musical artist, juggles these elements gracefully. Feeling scorned by Stack's abrupt departure from their relationship, Mary is introduced when she is calling Stack out. Because of Steinfeld's performance, viewers can instantly empathize with her, even if she is at odds with one of the main characters. Steinfeld's vocal abilities were not shown off in the film, but she did have a single, "Dangerous," come out in conjunction with the movie.

4 Delroy Lindo

Delta Slim

Delta Slim is an elderly, retired pianist who is somewhat of a legend within the town. His role requires a certain sagacity, acting as a wise person to guide Sammie and the others on their journey to be musical performers in Club Juke. Ever since he is first introduced at the train station early on in the film, and even acting against a powerhouse like Jordan, he captures the audience's attention.

Lindo really shines in the moments wherein those who have not yet been turned into vampires, including Smoke, Annie, Grace, Sammie, and Pearline, are discussing what the next steps are when they realize what is going on. Slim may be one of the older characters on screen, but he is not afraid to voice his opinion. Lindo's pitch-perfect performance helps bridge strong character relationships while making Slim himself an unforgettable character.

3 Wunmi Mosaku

Annie

As opposed to someone like Jordan, Lindo, or Steinfeld, Mosaku is a lesser-known actor (or at least, she was before Sinners). One of her credits before Sinners was the emotional horror movie His House, where Mosaku played Rial Majur, the wife of a South Sudanese refugee couple who are trying to adapt to their new life in England. Mosaku was absolutely stunning in this horror film, which made her appearance in Sinners feel even more exciting.

Mosaku played Annie, Smoke's estranged wife, in Sinners. From the very first scene, wherein a grieving, angry Annie reveals that she and Smoke had a baby who died, audiences cannot take their eyes off Mosaku. She has such a presence on screen that makes her unforgettable even though she is Club Juke's cook and not one of the performers. Mosaku provides heightened drama to the role until her character's death, and even posthumously as she appears in one of Smoke's visions.

2 Michael B. Jordan

Smoke And Stack

Jordan is getting copious praise for his role in Sinners, and there is good reason for that. He arguably has the highest demand as he is tasked with playing not one, but two characters. Even when he is having to have conversations with himself, Jordan is able to infuse subtle differences into the attitudes and inflections of Smoke and Stack to make it clear which character is which. Their differences are even more heightened when Stack turns into a vampire.

Though Jordan's performance is stellar, the contributions of the creative team cannot be ignored. His acting does help distinguish the characters, but a clever costume choice, which codes Smoke and Stack using different colored hats, also aids in keeping the characters distinct. The visual effects team also did stellar compositing to allow the characters to appear on-screen together, helping Jordan's performance shine.

1 Miles Caton

Sammie / Preacher Boy

Jordan is a seasoned performer who brings his all to his roles, but Caton is the true standout of Sinners. The 20-year-old has been recognized for his singing talents before, performing on the NBC series Little Big Shots and later touring with the musician H.E.R. as a baritone background vocalist. Sinners is his first acting role, marking his big-screen debut.

Caton provides his deep, soulful voice to Sinners' soundtrack, populating the scenes with an immersive sonic experience that captures the character's ion. Viewers can feel Caton's whole personality, whether portrayed as joy, heartbreak, or struggle, through his songs. This is coupled with strong work in dialogue scenes, wherein Caton truly takes the audience along Sammie's whole journey and perfectly sets up one of Sinners' after-credits scenes.