Sinner - a person who transgresses against divine law by committing an immoral act or acts. Someone who has done something wrong according to moral religious or moral law or standard.

1.  Prideful sinners - Those who are arrogant, conceited, and, an inflated sense of self importance. 

2. Lust - someone who experiences strong desire often in a sexual or self centered nature 

3. Gluttony - habitual greed 

4. Wrath - extreme anger 

5. Envy - feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else's possessions, qualities or luck. 

6. Greed -  intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power or food.

7. Sloth - reluctance to work or make an effort;laziness 

8. Hardened sinners -  The first kind of sinner is someone who knowingly rejects God. 

9. Drifting sinner - the second kind of sinner is the sinner who does not intend to do wrong nor sin.

10. Struggling sinners - The sinners who want to do good in gods will but struggle to overcome their sins

The movie Sinners explores the topic of racism within the Jim Crow era along with religion, vampires, and hoodoo, whilst also including easter eggs of real history that aren't normally as recognized. All humans are sinners in some way shape or form even when we don't mean to be, but the message within the movie is deeper than that. 

The first sinner we meet in the movie is the main character Sammie. Sammie’s character is based on Robert Johnson, a famous blues player rumored to have sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads in exchange for fame and talent. Their similarities within the movie are significant and subtle but very well written.  In the beginning of the movie, Sammie’s father makes him recite the psalm first Corinthians 10:13 reminding Sammie that his attachment to his guitar is “sinful.” He reads: “God is faithful and will not allow a person to be tempted beyond their ability to withstand, and with every temptation, he will provide a way of escape so that they can endure it.” 

Sammie's love for the blues is his way of expressing himself and African American culture, and as we know religion is the main candidate in what was used to convert and brainwash slaves into slavery. The blues emerged from African Americans during slavery combining traditional, spiritual, and working songs and was  often aligned with the suffering and trauma that was endured by the slaves. With brainwashing came the demonization of different cultures and previous ways of living, so the blues became another thing villainized amongst the community due to the fear of its potential influence on the white audience and within the community itself.  When Sammie’s father confronts him about playing for club juke, Sammie responds “I wanna be free of all this for a day.” Meaning the mind control, the judgement, the constant push for conversion to religion as the preacher's son, as well as the struggle of being African American during the Jim Crow era. 

Smoke and Stack are the next sinners we meet; their sins are that of wrath, pride, lust, and grief. The twins both served in WW1 before returning to the south, and were part of the 369th infantry. Which was an all black regiment known as the “hellfighters.” After the war they went on to join the infamous gangster called “Al Capone” while planning to double cross him, steal his money, and make their way back to Chicago where they would start their juke joint. This and the rumor that they were responsible for the murder of their own father gave them quite the reputation throughout the South. The twins come back to Mississippi to open Club Juke that we later find out was just a killing floor for the KKK. Upon picking up the equipment needed for Club Juke, they come across a rattlesnake in the trunk, and in this movie snakes symbolize beliefs both within the Christian and spiritual community: it represents temptation, death and rebirth, as well as danger. The temptation comes from Stack who’s known to fall into temptation quite often, and with this he serves to be the reason Smoke ultimately follows through with the plan to open Club Juke that night instead of the next weekend. Death and rebirth symbolizes not only Sammie getting closer to his gift, but the dangers that will follow.  

Next, we are introduced to Bow Chow and Grace, whose sin is wrath. Their characters are inspired by Frida Quon, who was a Chinese immigrant that established two separate businesses for both black and white residents in the 1930s when segregation refused service to African Americans. Which is why in the movie we see that the family owns two separate businesses across the street from one another. The influence Asians have to this day is something we still see predominately within the black community particularly with grocery and hair stores. 

On the way to Club Juke, Stack tells Sammie that the guitar they gifted him is from famous blues musician Charley Patton, but we later find out that the guitar is actually from their father. Why would Stack lie, you ask? Well their father is known throughout the movie as an evil figure so naturally, everything associated with him would be as well. The lie was to protect Sammie's innocence from generational trauma so that he wouldn’t have to think about or embrace the negative energy within the guitar. But given that the guitar IS associated with that generational trauma, it acts as the energy that attracts Remick, as he is also born from generational trauma being an Irish slave. Because of that, he wants Sammie’s music to break his own generational trauma. Given that Sammie's super power is that he can connect with musical spirits from both the past and future, it does unfortunately lead Remick to him and the others the night of the juke. 

We meet everyone's favorite comedic relief character Delta Slim next, a known blues player in the movie.  His character represents real life depictions of many African American musicians in the South in the 1900’s. His sin is grief and greed. We learn that he carries these emotions as a result of him failing to protect a fellow bandmate of his. He tells Sammie that his bandmate Rice had been saving up money from performances to buy a train ticket to “Little Rock” where he intended to build a church. Upon arriving at the train station, the white men saw the money and falsely accused him of murdering another white man and assaulting his wife. Rice was then lynched by the KKK in front of the entire train station crowd, including Delta. He now continues to play his music and buy alcohol as coping mechanisms from his experience. 

Mary’s sin is lust. In the movie, she is a mixed race white passing woman in order to survive as well as Stack’s love interest. Due to this, she doesn’t really feel as though she belongs in either community. This envy she suffers from is what leads to her being one of the first turned vampires in the movie.
Pearline’s sin is also lust, and she plays the role of Sammie’s love interest. We learn that she is a married woman to a preacher, but later has an affair with Sammie the night of the juke joint. 

Annie is Smoke’s love interest and her sin is lust, though she is entwined with the story because of the grief she carries from losing her and Smoke's child. Some like to say her sin comes from being associated with “black magic”, as she is also a hoodoo rootworker.  Upon her and Smoke’s reunion, she remakes his mojo bag which had kept him safe throughout the movie.

Cornbread’s sin is sloth as he fails to guard the door and is often associated with just being lazy throughout the movie.

Remmick’s goal is to reclaim his lost culture and create his own twisted community of “equality.” For this, he uses deception and manipulation to infiltrate and dominate others(….sound familiar?) In his attempt to reclaim his lost culture, he targets the cultures and gifts of black communities instead of those of his own. His determination to replicate the power structures that oppressed him turns him into the oppressor, continuing the cycle of colonialism and exploitation of the black community for his own benefit.

The most iconic scene in the movie is when Sammie performs his song “I Lied to You”. As he sings, we witness his power and the environment begins to shift as ancestors from the past and future begin to appear and play their music with Sammie. We see West African tribal spirits, 1930’s style blues musicians, and rock and roll figures connecting the evolution of blues with rock. Hip hop is even incorporated, as we see people of our present generation in the form of a DJ and modern dancers. Chinese opera performers known as “Xiqu” are also shown as representations of Bow Chow and Lisa. In the midst of this happening, Delta Slim tells Sammie the origin of the blues: “Blues wasn’t forced on us like that religion. We brought this with us from home. It's magic what we do, it's sacred and big. With this here ritual, we heal our people and we be free.”