· · ·
turning to page one
turning to page one
Sinners · written by Ryan Coogler · 2025
Scene 73 of 110 · ≈ 3 min on screen · Act two
In 1932 Mississippi, gifted sharecropper-bluesman Sammie Moore wants to make a life in the blues beyond his preacher father's rules, but the opening night of his cousins' juke joint becomes a siege by a vampire offering the community belonging at the price of its freedom.
The legend and prologue frame Sammie's segregated Delta life under his father's church and the twins' shadow.
Sammie wants the freedom, recognition, and musical life he imagines beyond the plantation.
He leaves the plantation with the twins, enters the wider Delta, and helps build their juke joint.
Sammie learns the blues is sacred, meets the room's people, and tries to claim a place among musicians and lovers.
His performance unites the juke with ancestral music and gives him the belonging and voice he wanted.
Remmick, Joan, and Bert arrive outside the opening-night juke after hearing Sammie's music.
Smoke refuses the drifters entry, turning a suspicious visit into the siege of the juke joint.
The survivors choose to stay inside and let Mary investigate the outsiders, entering the vampire problem on their own terms.
Cornbread goes into the darkness to urinate, where Joan appears holding his lantern.
Stack finds Mary with the gold, and their desire pulls them toward the back room despite his fear.
Stack and Mary have sex, and a fresh bite mark on Mary's shoulder exposes the danger around them.
This scene
Smoke sees Sammie watching Pearline’s performance and he pulls him to the side towards the barn door
SMOKE
I seen you performing up there. It
was beautiful. You wrote that
song?
SAMMIE
Yeah. I got a few of em. I can’t
thank you enough for this. I mean,
ya’ll the ones who put the guitar
in my hand, and now this?
SMOKE
You got the talent. That’s for
sure. But this ain't no life for
nobody. I know plenty musicians,
and I never met a happy one.
SMOKE (CONT’D)SMOKE (CONT’D)
You think its cute now, but it
gets old. That ramblin'. You got
somethin' else in you.
SAMMIE
Today settled it for me. I’m
headin’ off on my own.
SMOKE
You heard of Mound Bayou?
SAMMIE
No.
SMOKE
Town in Mississippi. Freed slaves
founded it. No crime, no crackas.
Everything Black owned.
SAMMIE
Sound like a crock.
SMOKE
I seen it. Stack was the one who
told us we should go. One day our
Daddy beat him rea l bad. We got it
in our minds to run away. I wanted
to go to the next plantation over,
but Stack figured we get to Mount
Bayou. So I got us a map, and put
a plan together. Stole a car and
got us there.
SAMMIE
For real? Why ya’ll ain't stay?
SMOKE
Mayor didn’t want us. Said we was
ner’do’wells. Didn’t want nobody
like us giving the town a bad
knew our daddy. Knew he w as a evil
man. Figured it wasn’t no way he
didn’t give it to us.
(beat)
See your Daddy a preacher. You can
go do that. Something respectable.
You like making music? Make church
music. And if you want to leave,
you can go to Mound Bayou. Live
with the proper Black Folks. Leave
this improper shit here to us, you
understand?
SAMMIE
I can’t do that. Being wit ya’ll
today man, feel like I was flying.
Smoke smiles at this.
SMOKE
Well enjoy the rest of the night.
Cause this is your last Juke. Come
tomorrow, I find about you playing
at one of these, I’ll kill you
myself.
SAMMIE
Never figured you was the type to
threaten blood. Guess I shoulda
known better.
SMOKE
What? You got somethin’ to say gon
head and say it lil pup.
SAMMIE
You ain't in no position to tell
me how to live my life. You killed
ya own Daddy. Just cause he was a
drunk.
SMOKE
Stack tell you that?
(beat)
Stack don’t know shit. Our Daddy
was a hateful son of bitch. Wanted
to kill my brother since the day
we was born, Just used alcohol as
a excuse. Was gon kill him that
night if I ain’t protect him.
SAMMIE
I can’t go to no Mound Bayou. My
daddy a reverend but I’ m ya’ll
little cousin too. And a lot more
people know the Smokestack Twins
than know my daddy. And I’m
leaving that plantation just like
ya’ll did. And if that’s a problem
for you, might as well kill me
now.
Bo Chow burst in on them, hurried.
BO CHOW
Smoke man you gotta get over here.
Smoke quickly puts out his cigarette and he and Sammie head over to-