Sinners

It’s 1932. Sammie, the son of a local pastor down in the deep end of the Mississippi, is a faithful member of the church. He particularly enjoys the music that is performed during the services. But Sammie has a secret. Sammie likes a different kind of music, music that his father would definitely not approve of, the Delta Blues. His father believes this music is sinful, from the devil, and Sammie is strongly discouraged from performing it.

Sammie, however, is a really strong blues player. In fact, some might say his playing is supernatural. For with every chord he strums, every note he sings, people are affected by it, it brings the music and those who listen to it to a whole different realm (both figuratively and literally). When he plays, spirits from the past and the future are summoned and brought to the present, Sammie’s got another secret too. He sold his soul to Satan himself to be able to play the Delta Blues.

One day, his cousins, Smoke and Stack (Michael B. Jordan) blow into town, having just left a gangster life in Chicago. As Sammie goes for a ride, Smoke hears his cousin give a demonstration of his incredible musical abilities. Smoke and Stack offer Sammie a job working at their new juke joint for Black Americans. Along with several other members from the community, their blues band delivers quality, deep, passionate, but upbeat music. (Blues music that’s upbeat? It can happen I suppose.) But the juke joint audience is not the only group of people who really connect with the music.

Lurking in the shadows in the dead of night lies three vampires. They are drawn to the music coming from the juke joint. “We want to come inside and listen,” they say. But Smoke and Stack make it clear that these white American vampires, unbeknownst to everyone at the juke joint, are not welcome.

The vampires retreat, for a time. As one person, after another, goes missing outside the juke joint, the question remains. Who are these white Americans, and what do they want with the juke joint members?

And more importantly… is something sinful about to take root?

There are times when I go into a movie and say to myself, “Man, am I really about to subject myself to distasteful and disgusting material on screen? What does the Holy Spirit and my faith gain from viewing this?” Shamefully, I sometimes make the wrong decision, after all I’m not perfect, only Jesus is. I never justify the act of witnessing sinful content. I just seek forgiveness from my Heavenly Father and repent of my actions. I know that I don’t have permission to continue sinning, as the Apostle Paul stated.

I say all of this to point out the fact that I knew what would be coming in viewing “Sinners.” I didn’t realize, however, to what degree how disturbing and ungodly the movie would become, and boy is it UNGODLY. Had I known, I never, ever would have stepped foot into the theater.

“Sinners” is an absolute attack on all that is good, all that is holy, and all that is godly. Debauchery, fornication, drunkenness, graphic violence and lewd content run rampant. From tons of extremely graphic violence, to a plethora of vulgar language and profanity, and some graphic sexual content (include an absolutely appalling side story involving an affair between a married woman and a younger single man), I wanted to wash my eyes with soap after the film was over, as I felt filthy on the inside.

Aside for some strong performances, including a masterful one by Michael B. Jordan, and a layered, somewhat (not heavily though) complicated story, this film laughs and spits in God’s and Christians’ faces. There is no reason on Earth you should indulge in this kind of film. But, if you insist on seeing “Sinners,” let me explain what you’ll be subjected to…

Content of Concern

Note, this is only a partial list.

VIOLENCE: In the beginning there are brief flashes of individuals being killed. Someone’s life is threatened. Someone is shot in the knees, and someone is shot in the buttocks. A story is told about a man who was lynched and had his privates cut off. A man with 3rd degree burns runs into a house to hide. A guy cuts some men with a knife.

One of the twins (Smoke and Stack) is bitten in the jugular by a female character. As a result a character dies an extremely painful and graphic death. A guy stabs a knife through a door. There are some dead bodies in a couple scenes. A vampire is seen feasting on someone, and there is a ton of blood covering the body, and it is left disfigured. There is a massive graphic fight sequence that includes multiple stabbings and vampires being shot. Someone is graphically burnt to death. A main character is bit, and someone mercy kills them before they become a vampire. A guy slices his wrist to distract the vampires. Multiple people are bit by vampires and are seen burning to ash as the sun rises. Someone kills some Ku Klux Klan members by using smoke and machine guns. A truck explodes. A man is shot multiple times and killed.

OCCULT: There are heavy occultic themes and moments in the film. A medium is seen multiple times predicting certain events and actions. There are discussions of potions and chants, etc.

VULGARITY: Extreme— F*ck (17), F**king (5), M*therf**king (1), M*ther-f**ker (2), C**n-Hunting (1), P*ssy (1), P*cker (1), P*ckerhead (1), R*pe (1), Sh*t (24), B*tch (1), A** (8), S.O.B (2), Horse-Sh*t (1) Bull-Sh*t (2), N-word (both as N*gga and N*gg*r) (11 with -gga ending and 2 with the -er ending), Cr*ckers (a derogatory term for someone who is white) (3), Inj*ns (3), Beat the black off ya

PROFANITY: Moderately Heavy— J*sus (2), G*d (1), D*mn (10), G*d-d*mn (5), D*mnit (1), H*ll (7)

SEXUAL CONTENT/DIALOG: Very Heavy to Extreme— As mentioned, a young male flirts with an older, married woman. A woman pressures a man to, as she says, “Stick your mouth in my v*gina.” A young man takes a married woman into a room and has oral sex on a woman’s v*gina (with accompanying sounds). A man is seen urinating on a tree. Two people make out very passionately and have sexual intercourse after. Someone mentions a male putting their head on a woman’s chest.

ALCOHOL: There are multiple, multiple scenes where people are seen drinking all forms of alcohol and becoming drunk.

DRUGS: Two men are seen smoking cigarettes and others are seen smoking pipes.

OTHER SPIRITUAL ISSUES: The movie actually begins where it ends—with a bloodied, horrified Sammie, still clutching the broken neck of his guitar, staggering into his father’s church on Sunday morning. He interrupts a children’s choir singing “This Little Light of Mine,” and his father welcomes him in and embraces him. But the pastor also tells Sammie to turn his back on his music (and all its sinful trappings) and recommit his life to Christ. Sammie’s preacher father is a decent enough man, “Sinners” paints him as a bit cold and clueless.

But the pastor does set the table for what’s to come in a deeply spiritual way: “You keep dancing with the devil,” he tells his son, “and one day it’s gonna follow you home.”

Christianity is depicted as largely ineffective against the vampires who recite The Lord’s Prayer without fear, and no one brandishes any crosses to keep them away (though one character does wear a cross necklace). But that statement comes with a couple of caveats: “Holy water” is referenced as an effective vampire deterrent.”

Annie, Smoke’s onetime wife and/or partner, practices a sort of magic that includes herbs and divination and the like. Long ago, she gave Smoke a “mojo” bag to protect him. Smoke doesn’t believe in Annie’s sort of magic, either. He believes in “just power,” and that only money can give someone power.

But “Sinners” suggest that the world does hold magic—that of music. An opening narrative tells us about how African lore tells of musicians who could “conjure spirits” and bridge time. But it adds that music can also attract evil. And Sammie’s music, the movie suggests, is responsible for attracting this particularly vampiric sort of evil to their doorstep.

WOKENESS: Someone tells Sammie that Christianity was forced on Blacks in the United States (standing in sharp contrast to the Blues, which was created by them). There are a lot of upfront and very apparent forms of racism throughout the entire film, and at times it feels deliberate and somewhat alienating.

Final Thoughts

As a reviewer, I’ve seen quite of few R-rated movies in my time. I’ve seen content that makes me walk out in shame with my head hanging low, almost to the ground.

But NEVER, have I EVER seen the amount of sin and blasphemy that is in “Sinners.” Christianity is depicted as weak, ineffective with everyone outright denying that God can intervene, or save anyone, or be in control, which is all extremely contrary to God and to Christianity as a whole.

Whatever paper-thin positive messages that exist in “Sinners” are greatly overshadowed by the graphic violence, graphic sexual content, and jaw-dropping amounts of vulgar language and profanity. Only Satan is glorified in this film, not God.

Stay as far away from “Sinners” as you possibly can. No good can come from spending your hard earned money on a film like this. This film is not for children, teens and, yes, even adults. Skip this film and do not support this kind of filth.

• Violence: Extreme
• Vulgar/Crude language: Extreme
• Sex: Very Heavy
• Occult: Heavy
• Profane language: Moderately Heavy
• Drugs/Alcohol: Moderately Heavy
• Wokeism: Moderate
• Nudity: Mild

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