'Sinners' Wins Actor Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

2 days ago 5

Miles Caton playing the guitar in Sinners

Published Mar 1, 2026, 10:30 PM EST

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Ryan Coogler has officially added another major accolade to his sparkling career. At tonight’s Actor Awards, Sinners took home Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, cementing the 1930s-set Southern vampire epic as one of the year’s most talked-about ensemble achievements. For a filmmaker who hasn’t yet turned 40, Coogler’s trajectory continues to feel almost unreal — from Fruitvale Station to Creed, from Black Panther to now an entirely original horror spectacle that’s sweeping awards recognition.

Set in rural Mississippi in 1932, Sinners follows gangster twins Smoke and Stack — both played by Michael B. Jordan— who return home after years in Chicago with plans to open a juke joint nightclub. What begins as a celebration of community, culture, and music spirals into chaos when a trio of vampires, led by Jack O’Connell’s Remmick, descend upon the town. The brilliant cast also includes Hailee Steinfeld, Wunmi Mosaku, and breakout performer Miles Caton.

How Good Is 'Sinners'?

Collider’s review stated that Sinners was Coogler’s most visually audacious film to date — a sweeping, kinetic spectacle that proves his blockbuster instincts are sharper than ever — but it also exposed a blind spot when it comes to delivering genuinely terrifying horror. The nightclub sequences are singled out as the film’s high point: sweaty, sensual, and electric, driven by a standout soundtrack and choreography that makes the horror almost secondary, and the whole film frames Jordan like a real film star, a true leading man, but it also notes that, compared to the sophistication and menace of recent vampire tales like Nosferatu, Sinners pulls its punches. Violent moments often cut away before landing impact, and the vampires — marked by basic visual effects and occasionally awkward tonal choices — feel more theatrical than terrifying.

"Sinners is an electric film sparkling with energy and passion. Coogler takes everything he has honed over the past 10 years and crafts a spectacle hoisted up by exceptional visual storytelling. The focus here is action and imagery, so the weaker character development and script than his past films can be forgiven. What can’t be ignored, though, is that Coogler isn’t yet a master of horror. And this is perhaps a great thing to happen to the cinema world. As extraordinarily talented as Coogler is, as intentional his style feels, and as talented as the performers are, horror should never be something that people dismiss as not requiring the same level of expertise."

Stay tuned to Collider for more coverage of Awards Season.