March 2nd, 2007 by Brent
Black Snake Moan tells the story of Lazarus (Samuel L. Jackson), a musician who used to play the blues and rock the house, but has since been down on his luck after his wife cheats on him and leaves. He now sees that the he lives the life he used to sing about, a sad, bitter life as the result of a lovers betrayal, the blues. That is until he stumbles upon a young white girl named Rae (Christina Ricci) lying in a ditch, unconscious and bloody. He cleans her up and soon finds out that Rae has quite the reputation around town as a crazy nymphomaniac. Lazarus takes it upon himself to rid Rae of her wicked ways and chains her up to his radiator until the job is done.
From there we witness the way that these individuals struggle to face their inner demons and ultimately help heal each other. In a way, it's a story about redemption. It's about living the way you want to live and to do it right now, no matter what has happen in the past.
The performances are superb. Samuel L. Jackson is always entertaining, but when he chooses a solid, good character, he is an outstanding actor. Here, with Lazarus, Jackson gives a great performance and it's easily one of his best. Christina Ricci nails the look and attitude perfectly for the rebellious, but emotional troubled Rae. I was even surprised by Justin Timberlake, who plays Ronnie, Rae's boyfriend who experiences anxiety attacks. This is the first role I have seen him in, and he does a great job.
While the style and feel of the film may not be for everyone, I felt it was a great tale about troubled individuals, who need and help each other on their way to their own personal salvation. And the music isn't all that bad either.
| Quick Review | |
|---|---|
| Plot/Storyline An interesting tale of discarded individuals who ultimately help each other. |
8.5 |
| Acting/Characters Samuel L. Jackson gives one of his best performances. Ricci and Timberlake are also outstanding. |
9.5 |
| Visuals/Sound Some great imagery at times along with a great blues soundtrack that really helps to tell the story. |
9 |
| Replay It's a film where you walk out and then about an hour later you start thinking about it again. And because of that, I think I'll want to give it a second viewing. |
8.5 |
| Overall Rating: | 8.5 |
| All scores are out of 10. Overall score is not an average. | |
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