Sinners is filled with plenty of amazing scenes that make it more than worth a viewing. From the mesmerizing and time-bending musical moment in the juke joint to the bloody final battle, Ryan Coogler’s vampire epic offers up spectacle with touches of cultural reverence. A moment from the film that’s truly injected with those two aforementioned elements is the “Rocky Road to Dublin” scene. I’ve been thinking about the well-staged sequence since I saw the movie, and some new details on its creation make me love it even more.
The “Rocky Road to Dublin” segment takes place after vampire Remmick (played perfectly by Jack O’Connell) and followers Lola and Burt convert a group of juke joint patrons into nocturnal blood-suckers. While Smoke, Annie and their remaining allies try to devise a way to deal with the supernatural creatures, Remmick performs the Irish folk song alongside his followers. Not only does the villain emphatically belt out the tune, but he dances to it as well.
All in all, this portion of the film is incredibly scored and well-choreographed. Jack O’Connell, in particular, deserves a lot of credit for his exceptional Irish jig. I imagined that landing those sharp dance moves was probably no small feat, and O’Connell confirmed that when he spoke with Rolling Stone. O’Connell explained during the interview that before principal photography on Sinners began, he worked with a dance instructor in London. Nevertheless, O’Connell did have to shake off a bit of rust:
It had been nearly 20 years since I last did it, to any degree. I mean, I used to do it loads in the pub for a laugh. But it was an amazing experience to roll the years back. I wanted to make sure that when I did finally arrive in Louisiana, I’d been doing it and I was familiar with it again. I wanted to have something that I could at least bring to the party.
Even after that prep, though, there was still the matter of actually filming the musical scene amid a night shoot. The thought of having to perform the dance amid a sea of supporting actors and extras may seem daunting. However, for the Skins alum, that portion of the shoot proved to be one of the most “transcendent” experiences of his career. The final result is a visceral scene that’s as electric as it is unsettling. Even O’Connell himself had to gleefully acknowledge how wild it was to film:
It was honestly kind of demented, but I guess it had to be. By the end of it, the sun came up and we had to stop shooting, which meant everyone had to hurry home so we’d get some rest before we went again. We were delirious. I think we were all just zoned in. It was a collective energy that came out that night. And I don’t think it was by accident. It was deliberately curated by Ryan Coogler and all involved. What you’re seeing in the film is really fucking lived in. We were all experiencing it, too.
Sinners is a film that can certainly remind a cinephile why they fell in love with movies in the first place. And, by the sound of it, the fires of Jack O’Connell’s passion were further stoked by making this 2025 movie release. O’Connell’s upbeat feelings about getting to perform a song and dance on screen are infectious and give me a greater sense of appreciation for his commitment to his work:
Obviously it’s not every night you’d experience that, or every day. This job is amazing and it does allow for that, but certain nights just blow your mind. That was one of them. Everyone’s job was coming to a crescendo: costume, makeup, camera, sound all coming to a head. And then something just goes and it’s fucking phenomenal. It’s a bit of a drug.
Written by D. K. Gavan, “Rocky Road to Dublin” is just one of the songs that’ll leave you humming after seeing the critically acclaimed Sinners. There’s also “I Lied to You,” which an expert says is catchy due to the musical machinations of composer Ludwig Göransson. Quite frankly, when watching the film, it’s hard to resist the urge to stand up and start jamming to the tunes.
Of course, I could definitely never pull off an Irish jig as great as Jack O’Connell’s, so I’ll just stay in my lane when it comes to that. What I will continue to do, though, is enjoy O’Connell’s big musical moment whenever I watch Sinners. On that note, anyone with an HBO Max subscription can stream the film now. Let’s also hope that, at some point, Ryan Coogler’s latest movie is re-released in theaters so that fans can enjoy the dancing, singing and blood-sucking in glorious, 70mm IMAX.
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