 In the film, a white carpenter named John Tibeats (portrayed by Paul Dano) leads a group of slaves in a rendition of the song.Hermione Hoby of "The Guardian" described the scene as "nauseating", and Dana Stevens of "Slate" found it to be "hideous".Kristian Lin of the "Fort Worth Weekly" wrote that, though the song had initially been used by black slaves to encourage escapees and warn them of the dangers involved, when performed by the character of Tibeats it became a taunt, "like a prison guard who jingles the keys for the prisoners to hear, reminding them of what they don't have".