Cinephiles would be hard pressed to find a film from 2025 that’s sparked more discussions than the acclaimed Sinners. Ryan Coogler’s vampire epic is proving to be far more than a popular movie, as it’s become a true pop culture phenomenon. There’s so much to love about the motion picture, from its quieter moments to its audacious musical sequences fit for the cinema. I really enjoyed Coogler’s latest feature, and I was surprised to learn that one of his actors had to convince him not to cut down one of my favorite scenes.
Sinners’ ensemble cast has many stand-outs, and someone who deserves a considerable amount of praise is Delroy Lindo, who plays drunken blues player Delta Slim. While Slim serves as a comic relief, though there’s way more to them than meets the eye, as a part of his backstory is truly tragic. That’s revealed when he calls out to a chain gang and proceeds to recall being imprisoned alongside a friend (who’s later killed by the Ku Klux Klan). While talking to THR, Lindo recalled learning that much of that had been cut:
I didn’t know it at the time. I mean, when I saw the first cut, it was diminished, and my Chain Gang stuff was not in it — that had been cut. Ryan said, ‘What did you think?’ I said, ‘… Can we talk, bro?’
Delta’s monologue about he and his friend being plucked from jail to play for a group of rich, white Southerners includes some tinges of humor. However, watching the character try not to break down while recalling how the KKK later framed his buddy for murder and got him lynched is truly sobering. All of that – paired with Slim’s attempt to encourage a chain gang he, Sammie and Elias “Stack” Moore pass in a field – makes this one of Sinners’ most heartbreaking scenes, and I can’t stop thinking about it.
So it’s definitely surprising to me that Ryan Coogler’s initial cut of the film cut down Slim’s speech and removed the chain gang moment. Despite that, Delroy Lindo believes Coogler was aware of the power that this particular portion of the film could hold and explained why:
I’m sure he did. Otherwise he wouldn’t have turned me. So we sat and we talked, and I said, first of all, the Chain Gang is part of [Delta Slim’s] origin story. That’s got to be in there. And it’s all of a piece. I was able to articulate it to Ryan, and how it directly addresses the [character’s] self-medicating. Ryan’s a really smart man and thank God it was reinserted.
At the present, the restoration of the scene isn’t the only element that the Malcolm X star now finds gratifying. He’s also pleased with the way in which audience members like myself have embraced the scene:
That’s also been majorly affirming that the monologue in the car has resonated for audiences. The fact that I had that conversation with him, and then after the fact found out that some of the other actors had also said something — because we didn’t gang up or whatever; they had all individually on their own said something very similar — it says a lot. It says a hell of a lot. It was entirely organic. And that’s Ryan. Being the leader of the project and the tone that he sets, and then him being the creative spirit that has brought all of us together.
Overall, the scene represents just one portion of Delroy Lindo’s stellar performance in Sinners, which has received several 2026 Golden Globe nominations as well as 17 nods from the Critics’ Choice Awards. Unfortunately, Lindo’s been snubbed by the major awards associations and, I’m really hoping that turns around soon. Of course, even if the actor doesn’t receive any hardware, I take comfort in knowing that his performance – including the full monologue scene – will remain intact for years to come.
Anyone who’s yet to see Sinners – or is just eager to rewatch it – can stream the film now using an HBO Max subscription.
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