Black Snake Moan (2007)

Sadly Over-hyped

Powerful

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

This is one of those little gems that I propably wouldn't pick up if it wasn't on TV. This drama is a full package. Good acting, meaningful story, skillful directing and blues! Samuel L. Jackson and Christina Ricci are very good tandem in this story of dysfunctional girl somewhere in America. She is sexy and disturbed and SLJ is good as always ( did he ever had a bad role? ). We have some chains and a lot of pain that needs to be cured! Definitely recommend for all people who are looking for more than entertainment.

You can always expect a competent performance from Samuel L. Jackson, but Christina Ricci is simply outstanding here in her role as the white trash town whore Rae, devastated by her boyfriend's enlistment in the Army. Some will see this as a sexploitation film, what with Ricci's nearly naked body on display most of the time, and the theatrical poster suggesting a bondage theme to titillate potential movie goers. The picture itself is a bit more complex than that, examining the fragile relationship between a down and out former blues man and the woman he's attempting to cure of her sex addiction. What didn't quite ring true for me was the idea that Lazarus (Jackson) didn't know who Rae was when he found her by the side of the road. Seems like everyone else in town knew about her and her sordid reputation. For her part, Rae's unbridled lust to get it on with anything that moved seemed seriously hyped; that scene suggesting her seduction of young Lincoln (Neimus K. Williams) went clearly over the top. This isn't the type of film one seeks out for it's entertainment value because it's pretty bleak most of the time, though the redemption theme gets to play out in due course, even if the credibility factor gets stretched to the max. I thought the story was a good one, and if you're a fan of blues music, the bar scene when Jackson brings out the Gibson ES-335 is a cool bonus.

(57%) First off straight away the movie doesn't work, it leans too heavily into exploitation sleaze as well as lacking real substance for it to be in any way a thoughtful drama, and it's not entertaining enough, and dare I say it, too well made/performed for it to be truly fun drive-in movie throwback. What comes painfully close to saving this movie is Mr Samuel L. Jackson giving one of his better performances yet, he really is superb; while Christina Ricci puts out a no holding back performance of a character who wouldn't be out of place in a 1970's softcore sex picture with the direction almost ogling her largely semi-nude screen time at every opportunity. For the performances alone this is just about worth a look, but it's not a repeat watch or something that needs to be seen.

SPOILERS INCLUDED.I rented this movie back when it came out on DVD, probably sometime in 2008. And I happened to catch it the other night on TV, so I thought I'd watch it again.The first thing that came to mind when I re-watched this, is why in the hell didn't Samuel's character give the poor girl some pants. He's trying to cure her of her nymphomania, but leaves her practically naked so she's free to strip down and F poor unsuspecting visitors to his house while he's away and she's chained to his radiator.She gets beaten almost to death, and no one thinks to find out who did it? I mean sure, she's a slut, but that doesn't mean the beating was deserved. That never gets resolved other than Ronnie beating him up, not knowing what happened btw, so that's just for the audience I suppose.Then there's Ronnie, Justin's character. If he gets anxiety attacks, why is he joining the frickin' army???? He has a full-blown anxiety attack simply because he gets caught between two trucks on the highway. Ridiculous.Then the ending, oh holy hell. So the solution to all this turmoil, her nymphomania-caused-by-abuse and his severe anxiety, is to GET MARRIED??!! They drive away from Samuel's house and all is OK, until he has his traffic attack and she has a nympho attack and she forgets about it by consoling him. Then End.