Black Snake Moan Review

"Black Snake Moan" reviews

Movie

Black Snake Moan

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2007-05-17 22:37:03

Rating

2/5

Provider

CinemaSource

Review

For its unwittingly clichéd story and South'n-fried stereotypes, Black Snake Moan could itself benefit from a cool-down timeout on the radiator. Four-star soundtrack, though!

Story

Lazarus (Samuel L. Jackson) is large, black and God-fearing; Rae (Christina Ricci) is petite, white and sin-committing. In other words, you know they're bound to meet up at some point. After Rae's boyfriend, Ronnie (Justin Timberlake), is ordered to boot camp, she cuts loose—or merely reverts to old habits—consuming all the drugs, booze and men she can get her hands on. It doesn't take long for her to spiral out of control and wind up beaten—by Ronnie's best friend (Michael Raymond-James)—and abandoned on the side of the road, where Lazarus scoops her up and takes her in. Just like that, antitheses are brought together, but Laz can't quite figure out what, aside from her bloodied face, is ailing her. See, she gets ''spells'' whose only antidote is intercourse, and Laz neither wants to be part of that cure nor let her out of his sight. His only solution: chain her up to the radiator like the rabid dog in heat she has become, and sing to her the blues he knows so well. It seems to be working when, uh-oh, Ronnie returns home, and needless to say, things have changed since he's been gone.

Acting

So…Samuel L. Jackson does occasionally take roles for more than just a paycheck! Maybe he does read the screenplays before accepting roles! Kidding, of course, but at least the Pulp Fiction star plays flesh and blood here instead of whatever you want to call his last dozen or so characters. When Jackson allows himself to be vulnerable, as he does in Snake, he reminds you of his thespian side from back in the 20th century. And in the film, when he moans the blues, he reminds you of bluesmen from back in the 20th century. Jackson shares a strong, if perverse, emotional connection with Ricci, who gives an absolutely fearless performance. Half-naked throughout and literally looking possessed by sex demons, Ricci takes a career risk with this role, one that most of her peers probably wouldn't consider even if their hearts told them otherwise—but courage aside, her acting tends to be over the top, even if fearless. And Timberlake, following up his recent, widely hailed performance in Alpha Dog, again looks the part but comes up short this time. He has a formidable acting future, but he's not enough of a natural to flip a drama switch whenever and wherever necessary, as is asked of him here in his few scenes.

Direction

Writer-director Craig Brewer has ambition of originality, but at this point it's more like delusion of originality. Snake officially marks his sophomore slump, after the hit Hustle and Flow, and it unfortunately makes you re-wonder how many flaws might lie hidden beneath Terrence Howard's powerhouse performance in that movie. There is a lot plaguing Brewer's story, and that doesn't include numerous questionable assertions about the South and its inhabitants. The biggest problems arise out of sheer conventionalism when the director seems so bent on shunning anything of the sort. The blemish that just screams out is Ricci's lack of clothing even after Jackson's character spends the whole movie trying to curb her sexual appetite and the way she is perceived. It's minute, but it reflects an overall lack of cohesion between the film's theme of morality and the filmmaker's lack thereof. But hey, it makes for a great poster and a nod to the male fans. And the radiator gimmick is just that: strip away Rae being chained up and there'd be no buzz factor, leaving the rather conventional (that word again) story exposed. But Brewer knows his music, and how to make it the center of a story; if he only did a better job filling in the rest of the blanks, this might've worked.

Bottom Line

Hollywood.com rated this film 2 stars.

Movie

Black Snake Moan

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2007-05-17 00:00:00

Provider

MyMovies

Review

"Hustle and Flow" director Craig Brewer's latest film is destined to become known as, "That movie where Samuel L Jackson chains a half-naked Christina Ricci to a radiator". That may be a true description of what happens in "Black Snake Moan" but the film has a lot more going on than just pure titillation, despite the delightfully lurid posters. Christina Ricci plays Rae, a white trash nymphomaniac who can only relax if she's having sex. When her boyfriend (Justin Timberlake) leaves town to join the National Guard she starts picking up random men to satisfy her needs and one of them leaves her unconscious and half-naked by the side of the road. She's found by Lazarus (Samuel L Jackson), a troubled and deeply religious man whose wife has abandoned him. After nursing Rae back to health, Lazarus decides she needs a special kind of medicine, so he chains her to a radiator and promises to cure her, with the aid of a local preacher (John Cothran) and a spot of blues music.

Blues music plays an important part in the film - the title comes from a song by Blind Lemon Jefferson and Lazarus uses the phrase to express an aching desire. The film also has a fantastic blues soundtrack, including a handful of songs performed by Jackson himself.

The performances are terrific. Jackson can occasionally be accused of coasting on his star persona, but he's almost unrecognisable here, giving a powerful portrayal of a man trying to save two souls at once. He's more than matched by Ricci, who is simply sensational, delivering a painfully raw performance that is by turns sexy, shocking and ultimately heart-breaking.

In short, this is a superbly written, beautifully acted and impressively directed film that'll stay with you long after you leave the cinema.

Movie

Black Snake Moan

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2007-05-11 15:00:50

Provider

MRIB

Review

Samuel L Jackson is the man. Well, he certainly was the man up until the hugely disappointing Snakes On A Plane but now, we're glad to report, he's the man again.

Yes it has the word snake in the title but, helmed by Hustle & Flow director Craig Brewer, this is a different kind of film altogether. Jackson plays Lazarus, a retired blues man who comes into contact with a troubled young white girl, played expertly by Christina Ricci, who was left dying in the road by a friend of her absent lover whose advances she spurned.

Trying to heal the girl proves to be a healing process for Lazarus too, despite how incompatible they both appear to his suspicious neighbours. When her young white boyfriend returns it's immediately apparent that he suffers from physical and psychological problems too and when he finds his girlfriend shacked up with Lazarus, he's none to pleased but Lazarus attempts to help them both to come to terms with their individual and collective issues.

Stereotypes are subtly toyed with to good, thought-provoking effect here (at one point the big-hearted Lazarus sings a blues song with lyrics not unlike a modern gangsta rap track) and while Jackson and Ricci are both as good as you'd expect dealing with such complex characters, some might be surprised to learn that Ricci's character's boyfriend is played by Justin Timberlake. And, sorry to disappoint many of you, played very well indeed.

Black Snake Moan is an atmospheric delight of a movie encompassing the evocative religion, music, warmth and hostility of the American south with outstanding, thought-provoking cinematic style.

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