Black Snake Moan

 

 

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Director Craig Brewer loves the south and I'm 2 for 2 for loving his films. If this film were made in the late sixties, it would be an unabashed cult classic that we'd be boasting of for decades. Samuel L. Jackson delivers another solid performance complete w/ gritty guitar-playing. Christina Ricci delivers a well-acted performance, although she can be a bit annoying at times. I'm gaining even more respect for Justin Timberlake since the SNL skit and after seeing his performance in this movie, things have never looked better for him. Some of the scenes w/o Sammy can drag, but the movie's themes balance it out and make for an enjoyable time for all. I don't know how Sammy stumbled on the snake theme, but it's definitely working for him. Also, David Banner is in this movie .. his first starting role pretty much suites him. He'd done his character naturally to the point he didn't have to act. I'm curious to see how far this rapper might go. The lighting, cinematography, music, film editing, and direction are absolutely stellar. The character development is so deep that you feel you actually understand them in their messed-up, crazy actions, and because of it nothing seems too far-fetched or out of the ordinary, even when it is. The movie presents itself to be about sex, but it is about far more than that. It is about loss, redemption, determination, and overcoming the mere physical pleasures in life to understand the deeper meaning of love.

It is a film about music. While watching this, I found myself lost in the poetry of the old blues lyrics. By understanding the art of blues, the audience is able to more fully comprehend what this film is about. Much like 'Hustle and Flow' tried to explain what Hip-Hop meant to it's hard-core "real" fans, 'Black Snake Moan' shows how the free-style, yet structured world of blues can act as the guiding light to those lost in the realm of physical pleasure. Blues is playing what you feel, but never straying from the main form that got you there. In the movie, the camera might stray from the norm of what we're used to seeing, but it never completely loses us. The editing, lighting, and direction is freestyle, but not in an Oliver Stone 'freakishly annoying' kind of way.

The blues is what leads to the final understanding between the two main characters. Music offers the understanding, redemption, and calmness through loss. This one is definitely not for everyone, as you might guess from the drugs, cursing, boozing, wild sex, assault, kidnapping, bondage, nearly naked people, frequent underwear moments, blues club dance moves and an overabundance of fringe religious bellowing. If you are a bit twisted, you will definitely see the humorous and campy moments and please don't take any of it too seriously. It is just a step up from Mr. Jackson's sub par "Snakes on a Plane" ... but the music is much better (except for the singing).

When you see the trailer or the poster of "Black Snake Moan" you have to think that this film belongs on a double-feature with "Grindhouse" (okay, that would make it a triple feature). After all, you have a black man holding a scantily clad young white woman in chains. This is a movie that screams "EXPLOITATION!" But the black man in question is Samuel L. Jackson, the white woman is Christina Ricci, and "Black Snake Moan" is written and directed by Craig Brewer, whose previous effort "Hustle & Flow" is remembered more for its Oscar winning song "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" rather than Terrence Howard's Oscar nominated performance by those who have not seen the movie (I would have voted for Howard over Philip Seymour Hoffman). So you have to suspect with these people involved that "Black Snake Moan" is not just going to be something like "Diary of a Nymph" with a way bigger budget (actually the movie I was most reminded of when watching this one was "Secretary" because it was another movie after people with serious problems that ended up touching me).

Jackson plays Lazarus, a broken-down blues musician whose wife has finally left him. Lazarus makes his living as a vegetable market gardener living back in the woods all by his lonesome. Ricci is Rae, whose boyfriend Ronnie (Justin Timberlake) makes love to her one more time before he goes off to join the military. The problem is that as soon as Ronnie leaves the tearful Rae behind, she starts getting the need for lovin' something fierce. Rae literally has an itch to scratch and she turns to the wrong guy, which is why Laz finds her battered body on the road near his place. He takes care of her and discovers her story and not only decides that she needs to be cured of her nymphomania, but that the way to do this is to get a big ol' hunk of chain, put one end around her waist with a padlock and tie the other to the radiator in his house. Laz feels the need to "suffer" Rae. His mind is fixed and he will not be moved and we sure know damn well not to try and argue with the man.

What happens next should be left for you to discover yourself and I think most viewers will be pleasantly surprised by the way this story plays out and impressed by the performances, which are arguably the best that Jackson and Ricci have done to date. They certainly throw themselves into these roles, which for Jackson meant learning to play the guitar and sing the blues while Ricci got to pick out her chain. I also like the character of the Reverend R.L., played by John Cothran, Jr., because the man talks sense, embodying Christian virtues without feeling the need to constantly quote Scripture. I also liked that with both R.L. and the character of Angela (S. Epatha Merkerson), Laz is smart enough to know that what he is trying to do for Rae is not something he can do by himself. Bonus points to Brewer for bringing back Kim Richards to play Rae's white trash moma, Sandy. When trying to figure out who to get for the role Brewer tried to think of who was the Wednesday Addams when he was a kid and came up with Richards, whom he had a big-time crush on from "Escape to Witch Mountain" way back when. I have to round up on this 2006 film just for that reason alone.

Craig Brewer (Hustle and Flow) directs his second mainstream film and John Singleton produces. Black Snake Moan stars Samuel L. Jackson as Lazarus, a religious man living in a small southern town. Lazarus is also a blues musician. His demons are that his wife left him for his own brother and for this he is riddled with anger. Christina Ricci plays Rae, who is an overly promiscuous girl who is traumatized by a history of child sexual abuse. On top of that her boyfriend Ronnie has left to join the National Guard. Ronnie is played by Justin Timberlake. After Ronnie leaves, Rae ends up having a pretty bad evening that leaves her scantily clad and beat up in the middle of a dirt road. She is left on a road just in front of Lazarus's house. After helping her get better, he soon comes to find out who Rae is and what kind of reputation she has. Lazarus sees this as a sign from god that he must heal her of her wickedness in order to receive some redemption for himself. So he ties her up to a giant 40 pound chain.

The film has a great atmosphere. It comes off as sticky and sweaty throughout and plays with that imagery as the characters develop. It consistently offers references to blues music and the characters are loud and full of life. It comes off as exploitative in some ways but that is ultimately done for a greater cause. Samuel L. Jackson is always good, even in really bad movies, but this is one of his best roles in many years. The real star here though is Christina Ricci who I've always felt is doing whatever she wants for now but one day she will be hailed as one of the best actresses around after a performance that hits the mainstream just right. Unfortunately for her though Black Snake Moan has not yet been a commercial success. None of that really matters though because it is still a very good movie although both Jackson and Ricci are even better than the screenplay and direction demand.

Some people say the film is hypocritical for sexualizing Rae and offering several erotic scenes with her, while at the same time presenting a negative view of sexuality. Firstly, I disagree that the film portrays sexuality as a negative but instead portrays excess as a negative. I did not feel hammered down by any messages that sex is wrong. Secondly, Black Snake Moan is definitely not meant to be erotic. It certainly rings of exploitation films but by watching Rae's transformation away from nymphomania and toward stabilization, away from her history of abuse to some degree of resolution, away from vulnerable to honest and confident, and away from being naked to being clothed; I can't help but think this is a fiercely unsexy film that is against hypersexuality alone. To be pro-spirituality and critical of actions often perceived as sinful is not puritanical and not even necessarily anti-sex. I would even argue that this movie uses religion only as a tool, but healing in general as its primary message despite the powerful Christian overtones. No matter how you look at it Black Snake Moan is, above all, a film that reinforces morality. It also happens to be quite entertaining.

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