Black Snake Moan (2006)

Calificación de los usuarios:

7.2/10   

Director:

Craig Brewer

Guionista (WGA):

Craig Brewer (written by)

Fecha de Lanzamiento:

2 marzo 2007 (USA)

Género:

Drama | Música

Frase comercial:

Everything is hotter down south.

Plot:

A God-fearing bluesman takes to a wild young woman who, as a victim of childhood sexual abuse, looks everywhere for love, never quite finding it.

Plot Keywords:

Abuse | Sexual Abuse | Army | Anxiety | Marriage

Premios:

1 nomination

Comentarios de los usuarios:

Bold Bite

Reparto

Samuel L. Jackson	...	Lazarus
Christina Ricci	...	Rae
Justin Timberlake	...	Ronnie
S. Epatha Merkerson	...	Angela
John Cothran Jr.	...	Reverend R. L. (as John Cothran)
David Banner	...	Tehronne
Michael Raymond-James	...	Gill
Adriane Lenox	...	Rose Woods
Kim Richards	...	Sandy
Neimus K. Williams	...	Lincoln
Leonard L. Thomas	...	Deke Woods
Ruby Wilson	...	Mayella
Claude Phillips	...	Bojo
Amy Lavere	...	Jesse
Clare Grant	...	Kell

También conocida como:

El lamento de la serpiente negra (Argentina) (DVD title) [es]

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexual content, language, some violence and drug use.

Duración:

116 min

País:

USA

Idioma:

Inglés

Color:

Negro y Blanco (archive footage) | Color

Relación de Aspecto:

2.35 : 1

Sonido:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Clasificación:

USA:R | UK:15 | Singapore:M18 | Ireland:16 | Netherlands:16 | USA:R (certificate #42163) | New Zealand:R16 | Germany:16 | Finland:K-15 | Sweden:11 | South Korea:18 | Argentina:16 | Japan:PG-12 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A | Australia:MA | Portugal:M/16 | Ireland:18 (DVD rating) | Brazil:18

Locaciones de Filmación:

Memphis, Tennessee, USA

Compañía:

Paramount Classics

Trivialidades:

Cedric Burnside and Kenny Brown, the members of Lazarus' band, are the grandchildren of legendary (but relatively unknown) blues singer R.L. Burnside. They played in his band while he toured up until his death in 2005. Additionally, the reverend (played by John Cothran Jr.) is named R.L. On a side note, features of Lazarus (played by Samuel L. Jackson), such as his hair and his history with the Juke Joint, are remarkably similar to Burnside's.

Errores:

Continuidad: The position of Rae's over-sized shirt changes from very low on her left shoulder to just below her neckline in the beginning, when she says goodbye to Ronnie.

Citas:

Reverend R. L.: Ima tell you something and it's just gonna be between you and me. I think folks carry on about heaven too much, like it's some kind of all you can eat buffet up in the clouds and folks just do as they told so they can eat what they want behind some pearly gates...

Conexiones de Película:

Spoofed in Dance Flick (2009)

Banda de Sonido:

Lord Have Mercy On Me

Bold Bite

If you've been looking for a film where a out of control nympho gets chained to a radiator by an extremely religious southern man then look no further than Paramount Vantage's latest release 'Black Snake Moan'. Not exactly looking for what I just described you say? Well then, you best get ya wits 'bout yaself and mosey on down to your local theater and still see it as Samuel L. Jackson's character Lazarus would say. As long as you're open minded and don't take everything seriously, there's no reason you won't leave the theater glad you saw it.

In the third offering from director Craig Brewer, we are taken into the deep south where as the tagline to the film claims, everything is hotter. While there we're introduced to the Godfearing bluesman, Lazarus as previously said played by Jackson, and the almost always half naked Rae; a role bravely taken on by Christina Ricci. In the film this unlikely pair cross paths long enough for their characters to each learn a lesson from one another. Both lessons ultimately convey the message to us the audience that no matter what, we are all human. No one is perfect and if everyone would realize that, then we'd be a lot better off. The question of if this will be understood, or be accepted by all who see the film is another story.

One thing not up for debate is how great Jackson and Ricci both are here. You'd think with the role of a sex-crazed woman, overacting would be a given, but no, not here. Ricci breaks through and demonstrates true talent with a raw performance that also doubles as her best to date. Then we have Jackson who completely disappears and for the first time in a long time makes us forget who he even is. Sadly, the third star of the film, Justin Timberlake who plays Rae's military-bound boyfriend isn't all that great. At the start, he fails miserably as he appears to be trying too hard. Later on he steps it up some, still he's far from the level he reached in January's 'Alpha Dog'.

The other thing 'Black Snake Moan' boasts is a splendid soundtrack. Containing tracks from The Black Keys, John Doe, pieces from the score done by Scott Bomar, & of course four, count 'em, four tracks from Jackson himself. It's actually one of his songs, the main performance of the film, 'Stackolee' that is the fuel to the fire of this great collection. It alone is worth the ticket price. Other notable musical delights from the soundtrack are Bomar's 'The Chain', 'When the Lights Go Out' from the Black Keys, & the title track which is also among the most memorable scenes in the film where Lazarus sings to Rae on a stormy night.

The efforts of Craig Brewer can't go without mention though. His last film 'Hustle & Flow' which ended up surpassing low expectations and gaining critical acclaim put him on the map. What he has done with 'Black Snake Moan' will be what sets him apart from other newbies to the industry. He not only directed 'Moan', but also wrote its screenplay. The end result is a story that is surprising and clever. As you watch you feel like you know exactly where it's headed despite its valiant composure. Just as you think you've predicted the next move Brewer shifts gears and takes an entirely different route. There are however some blotches within the screenplay. The background characters are drab and flat while the ending is somewhat disappointing. It left me craving for something more exciting. After so many highs I guess the final scenes were a tad weak compared to the rest of the film.

I imagine the majority of people who see 'Black Snake Moan' won't enjoy it due to the fact they won't be able to stop themselves from thinking how unlikely the situations are. The depressing part about that is there are many other films with just as unlikely, even more outrageous scenarios that are widely well received. It's the issues of race, religious motives, & sexuality the film exhibits that will have more effect on opinion than anything. The idea of a black man chaining a white woman up in his house is enough to make most people not even consider seeing it. Simply put, it's not for everyone. Like I said, to fully enjoy it you have to go in with an open mind, or else you're just wasting your money. For those of you who can do that, I highly recommend it.