Film Review: Black Snake Moan

When one hears the name Black Snake Moan, it can't but help conjure images of a low-level porn flick made in the early days of erotic cinema. Once you get past initial giggles from the title, however, you find yourself trapped in one of the most creative movies available this season. Black Snake is devastating, erotic, beautiful and comedic all at the same time without sacrificing any single element.

Christina Ricci, in the most successful outing of her career, plays Rae, a young Tennessee nymphomaniac who suffers from a history of abuse. After a night of drugs, sex and violence, Rae finds herself chained to the radiator of ex-blues guitarist Lazarus (Samuel L. Jackson) who deems it his godly duty to cure Rae of her sinful ways. Lazarus and Rae work to heal each other, both victims of love and sexuality. Those expecting Jackson-Ricci sex scenes will be disappointed, but the erotic tension in Black Snake Moan is thicker than Rae's laughable southern accent.

It is a combination of great actors and director Craig Brewer's (Hustle and Flow) vision that make the loose, almost ridiculous premise of the film work. The supporting roles from psycho mom Kim Richards and preacher/confidant John Cothran Jr. add layers to the film. Pop superstar Justin Timberlake-who shares musician/actor credits with rapper David Banner-seems to have made a lot of progress from his immature performance in Alpha Dog.

Jackson manages to channel the damaged spiritual soul of brazenly eccentric Jules Winnfield from Pulp Fiction. Indeed, Black Snake's comic-book-esque promo poster is reminiscent of Fiction's Uma Thurman pin-up. Unlike Tarantino, however, Brewer does not appear to have total control over his vision. The characters get sloppy-becoming almost caricatures of themselves-and the film almost risks crashing to the floor in an attempt to go over-the-top. Luckily for Brewer, Jackson's control and deliberate acting pulls the film together.

If the promise of an intense and interesting film is not enough to shell out the 10 bucks for a movie ticket, the musical experience pays for itself. The heavy, cutting, stomp-worthy blues-much of which is played by Jackson himself-serves as a third lead character, affecting the lives of Rae and Lazarus. Black Snake Moan is a huge step for Brewer's directing career and a must-see in a season of Ghost Riders and Norbits.