Black Snake Moan (B or 3/4 stars)
Craig Brewer, writer & director of 'Black Snake Moan', sure knows how to set a mood. Set in a rural Tennessee town, Lazarus (Samuel L. Jackson) plays a religious, retired blues guitarist who stumbles upon a scantily dressed, beat-up Rae (Christina Ricci), lying along a country road. He takes her home, cleans her, & aims to cure her of her 'wicked' ways (wicked = nymphomaniacal). A victim of sexual abuse as a child, Rae has some serious psycho & physiological problems and is always looking for love and acceptance in the wrong places. Can he cure her? Can she inspire him to change 'his' downtrodden life? 'Black Snake Moan' is, at times, absurd, and the ending is weak. But it is exceptionally acted, & rooted in such watchable Southern grit that it's hard not to appreciate.
Distressed by the departure-for-duty of her boyfriend, Ronnie (Justin Timberlake), and falling prey to anxiety disorder, Rae goes out to calm her nerves and drown her sorrows by way of haphazard partying. Later on, a pal of Ronnie's makes advances, she makes fun of his manhood, and in a fit of rage, he beats and pushes her out of his pick-up. Meanwhile, Lazarus has been having marital problems. How so? His wife has run off with none other than his own brother (which leads to a fiery, bar brawl between the two bros). His faith is tested; he's in complete mental agony. It seems like God has put him in this position to pick-up & heal this 'look-what-the-cat-dragged-in' woman. He gets wind of her reputation and decides to chain her up. She ain't goin' no damn where 'til she fixed!
She's obviously upset to be in chains. Knowing that all she has are her feminine wiles, she offers sex for her release; but he's not interested. A great scene follows in which she's downright desperate to escape. Some time passes, & despite the chains, she's still able to enrage Laz by manipulating Lincoln, the virginal delivery boy who's stopped by the house. But her metamorphosis starts here. She 'knows' she needs to be healed, and when a Minister stops by to consult her, she feels a change is a 'comin. Meanwhile, Ronnie is discharged from duty because of 'his' anxiety disorder. All he has to do is find out where Rae's been and you can guess how confused & angry he gets. How will he respond? Can he control his rage? Danger lurks.
Samuel L. Jackson is great, here. His unkempt hair is gray, his t-shirt's sweaty, & the delivery of his blues songs is fantastic (whether he's quietly strumming for Rae, or raising the roof of the local bar). Christina Ricci's Southern drawl, lascivious nature, wide-open vulnerability, & raw intensity is jaw-dropping here. She's a sinner, yet, we sympathize for her. She's a whore who uses profanity, defies God, drinks, & smokes like a truck driver. But it's not her fault she's been abused. Whether she's killed by her vengeful boyfriend, or winds up happy down the road, we're with her all the way.
'Black Snake Moan' is a sleazy, ludicrous, funny, & endearing (often enough, at the same time) tale of the hot & heavy South. The whole thing is downright voyeuristic. In fact, you know what this film is? It's 'what happens' to those barflies that you see lazily hanging, dripping around an old Southern jukebox ... when they finally go home for the night. The archetypical characters, places, and circumstances are cliched, but the story surrounding them certainly isn't. As mentioned previously, the ending is a tad too much for me. But overall, the movie has a sexy, slinky, subdued blues energy; it's both zany and sweet; & full of glaringly literal metaphors. I can't say I outright loved it. But you shouldn't miss this journey of 2 tortured souls who learn how to cope and mend each other.
Distressed by the departure-for-duty of her boyfriend, Ronnie (Justin Timberlake), and falling prey to anxiety disorder, Rae goes out to calm her nerves and drown her sorrows by way of haphazard partying. Later on, a pal of Ronnie's makes advances, she makes fun of his manhood, and in a fit of rage, he beats and pushes her out of his pick-up. Meanwhile, Lazarus has been having marital problems. How so? His wife has run off with none other than his own brother (which leads to a fiery, bar brawl between the two bros). His faith is tested; he's in complete mental agony. It seems like God has put him in this position to pick-up & heal this 'look-what-the-cat-dragged-in' woman. He gets wind of her reputation and decides to chain her up. She ain't goin' no damn where 'til she fixed!
She's obviously upset to be in chains. Knowing that all she has are her feminine wiles, she offers sex for her release; but he's not interested. A great scene follows in which she's downright desperate to escape. Some time passes, & despite the chains, she's still able to enrage Laz by manipulating Lincoln, the virginal delivery boy who's stopped by the house. But her metamorphosis starts here. She 'knows' she needs to be healed, and when a Minister stops by to consult her, she feels a change is a 'comin. Meanwhile, Ronnie is discharged from duty because of 'his' anxiety disorder. All he has to do is find out where Rae's been and you can guess how confused & angry he gets. How will he respond? Can he control his rage? Danger lurks.
Samuel L. Jackson is great, here. His unkempt hair is gray, his t-shirt's sweaty, & the delivery of his blues songs is fantastic (whether he's quietly strumming for Rae, or raising the roof of the local bar). Christina Ricci's Southern drawl, lascivious nature, wide-open vulnerability, & raw intensity is jaw-dropping here. She's a sinner, yet, we sympathize for her. She's a whore who uses profanity, defies God, drinks, & smokes like a truck driver. But it's not her fault she's been abused. Whether she's killed by her vengeful boyfriend, or winds up happy down the road, we're with her all the way.
'Black Snake Moan' is a sleazy, ludicrous, funny, & endearing (often enough, at the same time) tale of the hot & heavy South. The whole thing is downright voyeuristic. In fact, you know what this film is? It's 'what happens' to those barflies that you see lazily hanging, dripping around an old Southern jukebox ... when they finally go home for the night. The archetypical characters, places, and circumstances are cliched, but the story surrounding them certainly isn't. As mentioned previously, the ending is a tad too much for me. But overall, the movie has a sexy, slinky, subdued blues energy; it's both zany and sweet; & full of glaringly literal metaphors. I can't say I outright loved it. But you shouldn't miss this journey of 2 tortured souls who learn how to cope and mend each other.