Black Snake Moan
Everything is hotter down south.
In a small Tennessee town, two unlikely souls are about to be lured together at the sticky crossroads between rage and love.
Found lying on the side of the road, beaten and nearly dead, is Rae (Christina Ricci), a 22-year-old who has developed a reputation around town for having an insatiable "itch" for sex. Her rescuer is Lazarus (Samuel L. Jackson), an ex-blues guitarist who has grown used to life’s relentless strains of trouble and sorrow.
Desperate for a change himself, Lazarus holds Rae prisoner, and sets out to "cure" her of her wicked ways. But to get to the deep, dark bottom of Rae’s mystery, Lazarus will first have to face the demons that reside in both their hearts, especially when Rae’s one true love Ronnie (Justin Timberlake), a Guardsman who was supposed to be headed for Iraq, comes looking for her.
Member Reviews
Not what I expected - JudoKitten
When this movie was released it had all the hype, being called the Christina Ricci raape movie. And the indie bondage film. In the end I found it a very good movie to watch, a little creepy on how the bond between Sam L and CR was formed but all in all a good dramatic movie to watch. With a big message that anyone can change.
Just my two cents.Offbeat - andy3
At first I didnt really know what to make of the film, the first act isnt particularly well put together, but once the story gets going I found myself enjoying this a lot. I was watching with an entertained grin on my face. Unfortunately the ending is a bit hollywood-ish, but the movie as a whole is pretty unique so well worth checking out.Black Snake Moan - andythesaint
Brought to you by the man who previously brought to light the horrible plight of America's pimps, Black Snake Moan features a typically fiery performance by Samuel L. Jackson as Lazarus, a former bluesman who happens upon nymphomaniac Rae (Christina Ricci), whom he chains to his radiator to cure her of her "sickness". It's a southern gothic take on the blaxploitation genre, a movie that is as horribly misogynistic as the plot description implies, yet so stylized and over-the-top that it also serves as a commentary on misogynist portrayals of female sexuality in film. It's one of the most overtly sexual American studio movies to come out in the past few years, but it also has a conservative undertone to its message. It's a series of contradictions that makes the movie whatever you want it to be, and whatever your opinion is of it, you're probably right.
And I kind of dug it for that. It's starkly original, with ambitions that are clearly evident even if they aren't always met. The best element of the movie is that it's a blues song come to life. From the ridiculous premise, the God versus Satan approach applied by Lazarus, and the call and response tempo to Lazarus and Rae's interactions, the movie is straight out of the Mississippi Blues movement, with all the audacity of a song about devil women and the men who love them.
It's a flawed film to be sure. You basically just have to go with the leaps the scripts throws out, and it's hard not to be more than a little bit embarrassed by the entire concept of the film. The movie loses a lot of its steam as it develops, transforming from a trashy oddity to an overly earnest mentor story. But it succeeds in establishing a unique atmosphere with performances that force you to look past the more lascivious elements of the story to reveal the genuine heart beneath it. I can't quite decide if it's a brilliant mess or simply a mess, but I can't help but admire it a bit for that.
Member Reviews
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Not what I expected - JudoKitten
When this movie was released it had all the hype, being called the Christina Ricci raape movie. And the indie bondage film. In the end I found it a very good movie to watch, a little creepy on how the bond between Sam L and CR was formed but all in all a good ...Offbeat - andy3
At first I didnt really know what to make of the film, the first act isnt particularly well put together, but once the story gets going I found myself enjoying this a lot. I was watching with an entertained grin on my face. Unfortunately the ending is a bit ...Black Snake Moan - andythesaint
Brought to you by the man who previously brought to light the horrible plight of America's pimps, Black Snake Moan features a typically fiery performance by Samuel L. Jackson as Lazarus, a former bluesman who happens upon nymphomaniac Rae (Christina Ricci), ...