Black Snake Moan (2006)

Synopsis: Samuel L. is greater than ever in this movie where he plays Lazarus, a God fearing washed up blues musician. His wife dumped him and he's in the process of questioning his life until he meets a beat up Rae (Christina Ricci) lying outside his house. Rae is quite the spark plug or in better terms, she's the town bicycle. It's not like she's a slut, okay, well she is. But she's more of a slut because of some sort of mental condition. At first, it just seems like she's a sex addict but as the movie develops, we learn much more about the brutal past Rae has been through and how that has affeected her growth and the way she lives her life. So now, it's up to Lazarus to reform Rae into a proper citizen and teach her the value of the one life that everybody is given and that living it proper is the most important thing. The only problem is that Rae is very unwillingly to reform, hence the chain, and Lazarus doesn't really seem to know how to live a proper life himself.

Should You Watch It? Christina Ricci is pretty hot in this movie. I mean, I don't know if it's just because it's in the south and everything is naturally hot there. But damn! Smokin'! but after you get past all the sex and crazy drugs and alcohol, the movie itself is quite powerful and really makes us question our own lives and how we're living it. If that's not reason enough to see this movie then ummm Justin Timberlake is in it. And you get to see him with his shirt off. So ladies, there you go.

Things to Watch Out For: The dyanmic between Rae and Lazarus is really quite interesting. They are completely opposite but similar in so many ways. The obvious being she's a crazy hoe and he's not. But their similarity lies in them having lost their way in life and they're both finding it with each other even though they don't know it. There are a tonne of symbolism in there. Of course the chain=chasity and all that stuff but there are subtle things that are set up in the beginning. You should look for them if you're up to it. It's not that hard actually.

Things You Don't Expect: The music is amazing. And it plays a big part in the overall tone of the film. It has a distinctive southern twang to it and it shifts and slithers according to the mood of the characters. There are some real interesting lighting effects in there that reflects the emotions of the characters. This creates a very artistic feeling and somewhat surreal experience. If you listen close enough you might actually hear the Black Snake Moan.

Final Comments:
Story: 7.8 (Craig Brewer)
Direction: 8.5 (Craight Brewer)
Acting: 9.0
Cinematography: 8.0
Music/Sound: 8.8 (Scott Bomar)

Final Score: 8.4