The devil went down to Georgia

Rating: 8/10 (5 March 2007)

Craig Brewer's "Black Snake Moan" is by no means perfect. Indeed, it is guilty of several over-the-top excesses. One pivotal scene deteriorates into broad slapstick that seems to be played for laughs and is oddly at variance with the tone of the rest of the film. Vocals by Samuel Jackson and S. Epatha Merkerson feel like "Afro-American Idol".
The film also sometimes relies on psychobabble and stereotypes. This can especially be said about Christina Ricci's portrayal of Rae, the trailer-trash town slut, the abused child who seeks solace in sex, drugs, and booze. Even Samuel Jackson's Lazarus comes off as a wild and crazy guy on a mission.
That being said, Justin Timberlake is a pleasant surprise, turning in a sensitive, finely nuanced performance as Ronnie, an army recruit discharged as 4F because he suffers from anxiety attacks. Ronnie's condition is not justified by an elaborate back story; it simply is.
The next-to-last scene of "Black Snake Moan" suggests a stereotypical happy ending, reinforced by a quote from Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians ("But the greatest of these is love"). The final scene, however, is a masterpiece that delivers the message of the film in a muted, understated way. It does not hit us over the head and spell things out for us; it shows more than it tells.
In light of what has gone before, this final scene reminds us that even the greatest love is not enough to exorcise our demons. Rather, it is through love that we are able to wage a daily struggle, not to conquer, but to control them. We may not be cured but, as Rae says before the credits roll, "We're gonna be okay."