Black Snake Moan is practically perfect in every way. The gritty drama about two abandoned people, crippled by their self-destructive emotions is both raw and captivating. Marked by two incredible performances from Samuel L. Jackson and Christina Ricci, the audience is drawn into the world of sin and redemption.
Jackson’s portrayal of Lazarus, a man whose wife left him for his brother, is possibly the best of his career. A large leap from his last movie (Snakes on a Plane) and a very definitive turn from the action roles he normally takes, Jackson gives his character a believable and artistic blend of strength and vulnerability, compassion and anger, and faith and cynicism. Jackson is so convincing as Lazarus, that as he runs from his house terrified and clutching his Bible, I felt fear and pity for a man chased by such strong emotions. This is no small feat, as it proves Samuel L. Jackson was able to lose me in his character and forget his real-life branding as a “bad ass.”
Although some people may have a hard time believing the basic plot (a chaste and enraged Christian who chains a young, half-naked hussy to his radiator), if you can get past the situation and see the intention behind the actions, then the beauty of the film and its characters becomes evident. Even more interesting are the religious undertones of the movie. Like Tyler Perry movies (Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Daddy’s Little Girls), the faith of the characters range from those who never waver from God to those who never seem to have found Him. However, unlike Perry’s movies, the audience never feels like Black Snake Moan is trying to convert them or convince them. Instead, Christianity, although an important part of the movie, is simply motivation for the characters rather than being pushed as motivation for the world.
Christina Ricci’s character Rae was characterized early in the movie by a simple image of her walking in the middle of a country road in a Rebel t-shirt that barely covers her chest and daisy dukes that leave little to the imagination. Behind her is a large tractor that wants to pass her. As she continues walking in its way, she shoots the driver the finger and the screen is frozen as “Black Snake Moan” is stamped across it. Welcome to Rae’s world at the beginning of the movie – sexual and defiant. Christina Ricci’s performance definitely has erased my previous thoughts of her from Casper and Now & Then. From the child actress has evolved a woman who can dive so deeply into a character, it is difficult even now for me to divorce the characteristics of Rae from Ricci herself. At one point, she is standing in a field and gives Lazarus a glance so smoldering with its lustful invitation, I actually gasped out loud. Even after Rae meets Lazarus and begins her ascent to the way of truth and light, there is no immediate transformation into a saint, which lends an honesty to the movie and a realness to the character. Instead there is a scene in a bar, where though her change is evident at the end of the night, the audience still sees her sensuality and inner demons as she dances. On a personal note, although Christina Ricci’s body was undeniably sexy and role-appropriate, after watching her for 2 hours I was overwhelmed with the desire, as a woman, to feed her a loaf of bread and a porkchop.
One thing I found particularly interesting, whether or not it was intentional, was the way the film mimicked the Bible. If Lazarus represents God and Rae stands for an imperfect humanity, then you can easily see the movement from the Old Testament to the New Testament in their relationship. When Lazarus tries to inflict his purpose for Rae by chaining her, I found it not unlike the wrath that drove God to bind the Israelites to him through captivity in the Old Testament (particularly seen in Isaiah). Once Lazarus releases Rae, he shows an understanding that he can only hope his teachings will guide her in her freedom to make the right decisions and fight the good fight. This part of the movie seems to transition to the New Testament stories of God binding mankind to him through love rather than fear or judgment. Also, I found the ending a great example of how faith in God does not remove the reality of life’s harshness or cause you to never stumble, but rather comforts you through your trials and motivates you to fight temptation because of the importance of your relationship with Him.
I only have one complaint with the film. At times the editor ended scenes by fading to black and letting the audience have a moment or two before cutting to the next scene. This gives the movie a “made for tv” feel since you find yourself wondering if a commercial is about to roll. Although Black Snake Moan is very thought provoking, it is not so fast paced that the audience needs a second to catch up to the action.
Also, I had to feel a small amount of pity for Justin Timberlake. If you took his performance as Ronnie and put it in another movie, you would walk away impressed with the pop star. Unfortunately, because he is sharing the screen with Samuel L. Jackson and Christina Ricci, their smooth performances make Timberlake’s own seem choppy and less than natural. Also, his character’s history is not well-defined, and you can’t help but wonder how he acquired the problem that haunts him through the second half of the movie.
All in all, I would have to give a standing ovation to Craig Brewer. Although he shows promise as a director, I am more in awe of his excellent writing. Not only are you drawn to love a character that you would possibly cross the street to avoid in real life, but his sense of conversational rhythm is spot on. Due to the religious undertones of the film, it could easily give way to long, preachy monologues as either Lazarus or his friend try to help Rae; instead, Brewer avoids this and keeps the movie realistic with all actors verbally participating.
I also am impressed with Brewer’s ability to so realistically capture pockets of Black culture in the South. In Hustle and Flow, we cheered on a rapping pimp in the inner city as we are drawn into his daily life and aspirations. This time around, he portrays black culture in the countryside of the Deep South. From the relationship between Lazarus and his friend to the infiltration of faith in their daily lives and conversation, I find it remarkable that a white film maker can so accurately capture different types of Black Southern culture as shown through both of his films. Movies that use the “N” word off handedly (even by black characters), usually make me cringe, yet even this word in Black Snake Moan seems natural when coming out of Lazarus’ mouth and gives a closer look at the life he was born into.
I also really love Brewer’s continued theme of redemption in music. Although it is not as overt in Black Snake Moan as it was in Hustle and Flow, Brewer uses it effectively to set the tone of the setting and draw you into Lazarus’ world. The incredible selection of the soundtrack also evokes a sense of irony at critical parts of the movie. The music paired with faith acts as a savior to the two main characters as it draws Lazarus and Rae to an inner peace that belies the problems in their lives.
Not to detract from the immense talent shown in Hustle and Flow, but Black Snake Moan definitely shows Craig Brewer’s growth as a film maker and a screenwriter. Hopefully he will continue to hone his talent and produce even more remarkable movies in the future. I, for one, will be waiting in line to see his next film on opening day.
Movies Are Life. ~ K
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