Well made and original guilty pleasure not to be taken literally

Rating: 7/10 (27 February 2007)

A fantastic elevation of his southern-fried cinema form, Craig Brewer proves that there's a lot more to the durty south then rappers and pimps with his exciting and unique third feature Black Snake Moan. Replacing the crunked- up template that helped garner Hustle & Flow all of it's gritty praise, Brewer shifts the focus to a way older musical tradition in the South, the Blues. Proving the opposite of a one-trick-pony, this noticeable young writer and director weaves a potent spell of sleaze, laughter, terror, and redemption around Samuel L. Jackson's troubled, God-fearing bluesman and his fateful meeting with quite the tortured young lady.
Setting up and concluding this original and entertaining scenario proves overwhelming when compared to a tense centerpiece, but is still executed with enough flair and personality to maintain a certain integrity the entire time. It is in these harrowing, yet comical sequences of chained delight (excelling, no doubt with a near-perfect score) where two entirely different souls learn to benefit from one another in this peculiarly endearing way, that will have audience members shouting at the screen in joy for some of the new year's most hilarious and wicked scripting- that is if they are not offended past the point of realizing how unrealistic it is all trying to be.
Jackson, in a positively refreshing return to character acting roots, offers some of his strongest, most perceptive line readings this side of the late 90's, finally helping to burst my cynicism about all the similar, lazy characters he has been coasting through for nearly a decade. Fans of this icon will be in heaven to see Mr. Jackson finally give out another noteworthy and memorable performance, which sees the former Jedi and Hit-man slip into guitar-slingin, dirty blues mode without batting an eyelash. Similarly, Christina Ricci's go-for-broke intensity and vulnerability will leave few forgetful of the receding star's talent; the film serves to highlight both a return to form as actors.
Brewer may not have known exactly how to finalize all of the unique elements his morality-as-exploitation film implements-some of the behavior of it's characters remain laughably sensationalist, and the underlying thematic resolution, as gained by these two main players coming to an understanding of each other, feels slightly forced (exemplified in a tacked-on end), but he is not trying to make a documentary-like piece of fiction here, he is striving for something equal parts sinister and joyous, and in that effect has largely succeeded with this wonderful piece of Dixie pulp.