Pop star Justin Timberlake made his debut riding a blues in Black Snake Moan. Craig Brewer presents a movie based in characters, Lazarus (Samuel L. Jackson) is a large black God-fearing bluesman, and Rae (Christina Ricci) is petite, white and sin-committing, it’s like having two faces of a coin spinning down the street just waiting to get together.
When Ronnie (Justin Timberlake ) leaves the town to a base camp, his girlfriend Rae doesn’t take too long to spiral out of control and wind up beaten by a Ronnie’s boyfriend. Lazarus is resentful because of his woman who abandoned him days ago, when he finds Rae abandoned on the side of the road. He didn’t imagine in any moment what kind of girl he was trying to help, a sex addict caused by sexual abuses when she was a kid.
Here starts the real movie, when the director can get rid of the script, which in my opinion could be a lot better, and can focus just in directing actors. This raise Jackson to a superb performance, challenging Ricci, in an absolute fearless performace half-naked throughout and literally looking possessed by sex demons, to stay at his home and try to get over her sexual-sickness.
The best moments in the movie come from this relationship, with Ricci absolutely eager for sex and Jackson calming her down in the way he can, and having her chained to a radiator. The southern setting created by Brewer is great, supported by the blues which appears constantly to remember you where you are, what is the context, to prepare you for a southern storm where Jackson’s performance definitely blows up, taking his guitar, and pacifying Ricci’s cold turkey moaning his blues. Everything lead us to another performance of Lazarus in the town bar, where he used to play, coming back with his wild white girl trying to get back to a normal life. Brewer took better care of the images and music than the script, and i think he made two great videoclips inside a not so good movie.
In conclusion, the ambition of Craig Brewer lead kim to enter in a very difficult matter, but he saved the movie having two great actors. Samuel L. Jackson aceppted a risky role when he could show most of the aces he’s got up one’s sleeve, leaving us the feeling of the great actor he is. And Christina, The Adams Family kid got much thinner and provocative in what could be a 180 degree turn in her career.
by Sr. Ardo
