I've had it with these motherf**king snakes on this motherf**king plane!

Rating: 6/10 (14 March 2007)

BLACK SNAKE MOAN 2007 (SAMUEL L. JACKSON, Christina RICCI, JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE) DIRECTED BY: CRAIG BREWER ~ THE RUNDOWN: Brewer's 'Black Snake Moan' doesn't warrant much more than a whimper, ignoring the tale's great potential for dark humor and presenting the simplistic story in a tedious and sometimes laughably melodramatic fashion. ~ The story, although very simplistic, had the potential to achieve both humor and entertainment on a massive level, but neither was achieved. Brewer, instead, chose to go for our hearts a little too often and, for the most part, his efforts resulted in hollow, melodrama comparable to your typical daytime soap. The path he chose with this movie did indeed make for a very watchable film highlighted by a remarkable, vibrant performance by Jackson and an equally amazing and believable performance by Ricci, but the film's set-up was seriously screaming for some humor and it was denied. Jackson, after all, can be hilarious, and I honestly think if the movie hadn't taken itself so seriously it would have maybe reached immediate cult status. I also don't think it would have sacrificed its themes either. And, while I'm on the thematic aspect, I admire how Brewer didn't keep the secrets to the film's title out of reach, yet managed to not smother us with them either. ~ The film was definitely shot with style and care; it was pretty cool how much feeling was conveyed at times with no dialogue but just music and good directing. Furthermore, 'Black Snake Moan' is definitely a more original experience than what we're used to seeing these days, but it could have reached originality on like a Tarantino level, which it definitely failed to do. ~ Overall, to reiterate, it simply doesn't live up to its potential; it could have been far more entertaining and should have been hilarious. And, guess what? Style, originality, good acting, and an interesting title don't add up to a good movie...basically just a pretty good one.