Black Snake Moan

 1.5/4

Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Christina Ricci, Justin Timberlake, S. Epatha Merkerson

Rated R for Strong Sexual Content, Language, Some Violence and Drug Use

Film critics bemoan "formulaic" movies.  That's primarily because we see a lot more films than the average filmgoer.  I personally wear out a Blu Ray player once a year, although I don't know if that says more about me or Sony.  When something new and original like "Fargo" or "Speed" comes along, critics tend to fall over themselves in praising it.  Unfortunately the reality is that when it comes to the few films that take chances, there are more duds than successes.  For every movie made without a safety net that hits it out of the park, there are a dozen movies that fall on their faces.  Such is the case with "Black Snake Moan."

Rae (Ricci) is the town floozy.  When she's inebriated or when her precarious life threatens to get out of control, she gets "the itch," and has little trouble procuring surcease.  Her boyfriend Ronnie (Timberlake) has just left to join the military, and Rae loses control.  She ends up beaten and dumped in a ditch.  She is found by the troubled but good-natured Lazarus (Jackson), who helps the poor woman heal.  But she is driven by some dangerous demons, and Lazarus takes it upon himself to expel them.  To do this, he chains her to his radiator so she doesn't escape, and things are just getting started.

"Black Snake Moan" looks and feels like an exploitation picture.  But writer/director Craig Brewer isn't interested in making a sleaze-o-rama.  He has something else in mind.  Ultimately this is a story of redemption and healing.  Both Rae and Lazarus are suffering from deep wounds, and their growing bond allows them to break the chains (so to speak) that are holding them back.  Rae begins to understand that her body is not her only commodity, and Lazarus is able to move past the pain of his divorce and begin a tentative romance with the local pharmacist (Merckerson).

This is all well and good.  But the feels like it was made by someone without a clear vision and enough control over his film to get what he wanted.  Brewer loses control over his film fairly early and never regains it.  The two lead performances save a few of the scenes, but in general the film consistently misses the mark.  Perhaps its the exploitation approach that does the film in.  Whether it is done ironically or as an homage, it proves to be ill-fitting.  Rae and Lazarus never become real, and that sinks the film.

It isn't for lack of trying by the two leads.  Samuel L. Jackson and Christina Ricci are two of the most reliable actors working nowadays, and they give it their all.  But the screenplay isn't fully written.  Rae and Lazarus never become real; they are stick figures that Brewer can manipulate as he sees fit.  This movie lives or dies on the interaction between them, and not even Jackson and Ricci can camouflage the artifice.  Justin Timberlake is uneven; the former boy band singer is a better actor than people give him credit for (he should have gotten an Oscar nomination for "The Social Network," but did not), but he lacks screen presence.  "Law and Order" mainstay S. Epatha Merkerson adds warmth and love (if not tremendous range) as the pharmacist.

I recently watched "Hostiles" again last week, which dealt with similar material.  It wasn't the greatest film to tackle the subjects of regret and redemption, but it at least found a successful way to address them.  That's more than can be said for "Black Snake Moan."