# Sinners Seen it Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [April 23, 2025, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinners-seen-it-thread/1017392 "2025-04-23T08:29:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2025, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinners-seen-it-thread/1017392/21 "2025-05-27T10:43:13Z")
The prayer might not have worked but Annie’s charm did protect Smoke from Stack. And I think they never got out, they were locked inside when the Klan showed up. Smoke died protecting them. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2025, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinners-seen-it-thread/1017392/22 "2025-07-09T22:29:58Z")
This finally came to ‘don’t have to pay extra to see it’ television, and I was glad to see what all the fuss was about. A lot of plot elements bothered me (for example: why hadn’t Smoke or Stack stopped to think that Plantation scrip was what their prospective customers would have available to offer?) Most of all, though, I was disappointed that some of the most interesting developments–Sammie’s ability to raise spirits, for example–had no real effect on the plot. Supposedly it had attracted the lead vampire to him, but then that vampire had been in the area for a while before Sammie got there, hadn’t he? The movie is certainly an honorable achievement, even if it contains some disappointments. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2025, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinners-seen-it-thread/1017392/23 "2025-07-10T18:01:16Z")
Thoroughly entertaining and original. I could _feel_ the happy sinning in that joint, pounding down ice cold beer, never putting your ciggy down, sweat pouring off you as you hear the music wail over you and throb inside you, forgetting the drudgery of the endless cotton rows while someone else’s pretty wife grinds against you and makes smiling, lewd suggestions between numbers. I’m a sinner, too. And I like sinning. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2025, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinners-seen-it-thread/1017392/24 "2025-07-10T18:59:26Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > Supposedly it had attracted the lead vampire to him, but then that vampire had been in the area for a while before Sammie got there, hadn’t he? We see him chased by the Choctaw which is why he ends up at the KKK member’s home, where he was before there isn’t known. Sammy’s music is what drew him to the juke joint. Pretty impressive that Sinners is _still in theaters_ three months after opening and even while it’s now on HBO. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2025, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinners-seen-it-thread/1017392/25 "2025-07-10T21:48:20Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > We see him chased by the Choctaw which is why he ends up at the KKK member’s home, where he was before there isn’t known. Sammy’s music is what drew him to the juke joint. I think he was already on his way to the juke joint after turning the KKK member, since that’s how he learned about it. But Sammy’s music was what made him go all out (and eventually getting burnt up). I imagine without it he would be plenty satisfied just picking off the patrons when they left. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2025, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinners-seen-it-thread/1017392/26 "2025-07-10T21:59:55Z")
I saw it and enjoyed it and would recommend it but I feel like I didn’t get something out of it that others did since it just struck me as a good story for a few hours. I was honestly more interested in the story _before_ the vampires, then it started to feel _From Dusk Till Dawn_ to me with the whole defend/escape a bar besieged by vampires thing. Criminals, sensual lady dancing, etc. > [@Sherrerd](#): > > Most of all, though, I was disappointed that some of the most interesting developments–Sammie’s ability to raise spirits, for example–had no real effect on the plot. Likewise. We got the whole animated setup to start and then the moment where it showed spirits interacting with the music but largely just felt like a reason to say “And now there’s vampires”. But, again, it was a good movie and worth watching. I just didn’t really feel the hype I’d heard for it elsewhere. Plenty of other people did though so I don’t fault the film for that. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2025, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinners-seen-it-thread/1017392/27 "2025-07-10T22:03:45Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > Pretty impressive that Sinners is _still in theaters_ three months after opening and even while it’s now on HBO. Well, the music was amazing even coming from a little TV. I can imagine that the effect in theaters with good sound systems is well worth buying another ticket. > [@Jophiel](#): > > But, again, it was a good movie and worth watching. I just didn’t really feel the hype I’d heard for it elsewhere. Yeah, that’s where I ended up. Still, it probably sold quite a few Robert Johnson and Bessie Smith tracks (whoever it may be who’s profiting off those sales!) ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2025, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinners-seen-it-thread/1017392/28 "2025-07-10T22:05:32Z")
I rented this on Amazon for like $20 and then it’s on HBO the next week, Damn. I liked it fine enough. I don’t think it was as good as the hype. The music through time scene was, obviously, a standout. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2025, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinners-seen-it-thread/1017392/29 "2025-07-10T22:57:35Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > I think he was already on his way to the juke joint after turning the KKK member, since that’s how he learned about it. But Sammy’s music was what made him go all out (and eventually getting burnt up). I imagine without it he would be plenty satisfied just picking off the patrons when they left. I thought the original plan was to kill the KKK members. Or maybe they just said that. ---
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2025, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinners-seen-it-thread/1017392/30 "2025-07-19T13:14:43Z")
I’m a fan of Irish traditional music and wonder why he chose this to be the music of the vampires. The Irish weren’t particularly involved in the slave trade (as far as I know). and I don’t think the KKK is known for being Irish heavy. Outside of country music (and maybe more so), I guess its the “whitest” music that I know of. I’d give the movie an 8, BTW. Good, not great. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2025, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinners-seen-it-thread/1017392/31 "2025-07-19T14:00:13Z")
It’s a parallel. The Irish have a history of being oppressed and have used music to find joy in misery. It’s very apt given the themes of the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2025, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinners-seen-it-thread/1017392/32 "2025-07-19T22:17:57Z")
But it’s a confused parallel. If vampires are those who exploit and use the Sympathetic Ones (here, black people brought to America or born in America and enslaved), then making the Irish the bad guys seems…off base. (As @MikeF pointed out, they weren’t known for being the slavers or the backbone of the KKK.) Some analogies floated in an entertainment hold up, and some are more messy and unsatisfying. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2025, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinners-seen-it-thread/1017392/33 "2025-07-19T22:38:13Z")
I don’t think the Irish are the bad guys - in a way, even the vampires aren’t the ultimate bad guys. The vampires represent an alternate way to escape the traditional roles of non-WASP men in this profoundly bigoted society, as I saw it. Obviously they’re bad, but I think it’s more like “in this society, there are very few good choices, or good chances, for the downtrodden, like Blacks and, to a lesser degree, the Irish, and some of them will choose antisocial and even violent paths rather than the limited, and generally poverty-stricken, “accepted” paths allowed for them.” ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2025, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinners-seen-it-thread/1017392/34 "2025-07-20T07:53:40Z")
Yeah, my impression was just that this vampire leader happened to be Irish, with his own backstory of oppression and unknown (?) circumstances of vampirical infection. Once infected, he went around vampiring everybody else he could get hold of, beginning with his own family/social circle, as you do. The ensemble Irish-music piece was not implying that all the non-Black vampires were of Irish ethnicity themselves, just that they all had absorbed their leader’s Irish-ethnicity cultural background and familiarity with Irish music and dance etc. The ability of vampires to instantly share one another’s knowledge and memories was a significant plot point in the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2025, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinners-seen-it-thread/1017392/35 "2025-07-20T14:03:40Z")
It had nothing to do with the KKK. It was the music Remmick loved, and, as he was chief vampire, the other vampires liked it too. Remmick didn’t give a shit about Race or the KKK. He would vamp anyone. He vamped the klan couple because he was hungry and they were what was on the menu. He was fine with making black, white and Asian vampires. I do wonder, if he had vamped Sammie, if he would have broadened his taste to include Delta blues. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2025, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinners-seen-it-thread/1017392/36 "2025-07-20T14:26:03Z")
They explicitly explained that it was Sammy’s music that attracted the vampires, so I’m sure they would have broadened their repertoire had they gotten him. While Remmick brought his Irish music and dance to the group, presumably from his own personal history, I interpret the other “white American” music they played for Smoke and Stack, at their first attempt to enter the joint, to have been absorbed from the KKK couple he took before. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2025, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinners-seen-it-thread/1017392/37 "2025-07-20T17:29:43Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > They explicitly explained that it was Sammy’s music that attracted the vampires, so I’m sure they would have broadened their repertoire had they gotten him. Yeah, that’s what I figured. I’d forgotten that they led with southern folk music. I guess Remmick had a musical soul, what was left of it at least. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2025, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinners-seen-it-thread/1017392/38 "2025-07-20T21:48:21Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > I don’t think the Irish are the bad guys - in a way, even the vampires aren’t the ultimate bad guys. The vampires represent an alternate way to escape the traditional roles of non-WASP men in this profoundly bigoted society, as I saw it. Obviously they’re bad, but I think it’s more like “in this society, there are very few good choices, or good chances, for the downtrodden, like Blacks and, to a lesser degree, the Irish, and some of them will choose antisocial and even violent paths rather than the limited, and generally poverty-stricken, “accepted” paths allowed for them.” Interesting. Though I think it takes some mental gymnastics to see those who literally consume other people–taking away their individual wills and making them part of your hivemind–as being sympathetic characters. I guess that’s valid if the point you’re making is that society as it is qualifies as hell-on-earth… I still enjoy the music of the movie and will dip in now and again to listen. Though (and I don’t think this was mentioned), I assumed until I read differently that the singing voice of Sammie was dubbed, as it’s so much deeper than the speaking voice of that actor. But all the sources say it really is Miles Caton both speaking and singing. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2025, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinners-seen-it-thread/1017392/39 "2025-07-21T02:05:41Z")
I love movies set in US history where black people stand up to white supremacists. The machine gun massacre near the end was great. It was a good movie in all, but I enjoy things like that. I don’t understand why the grocery store owner put everyone at risk. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2025, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinners-seen-it-thread/1017392/40 "2025-07-21T13:40:41Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > I don’t understand why the grocery store owner put everyone at risk. They threatened to go in to town and kill her daughter. Fighting them was literally her only valid choice. And she turned out to be right, she managed to take her husband out who was the only real danger to her daughter. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinners-seen-it-thread/1017392.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sinners-seen-it-thread/1017392.md?page=3)