Rating of
2.5/4
"Black Snake Moan" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 01/26/12
When an embittered blues guitarist finds a young woman battered and bloody by the side of the road, he decides to take her in and try to help her deal with her mental issues in a very unconventional way. Black Snake Moan looks and sounds fantastic, that's obvious from the start and a typically intense performance from the king of cool Samuel L. Jackson ensures that it's always deeply watchable. Especially since Christina Ricci is still hotter than an in-heat jalapeno holidaying in Death Valley, even if she is playing the town bike. Reminiscent of a more offbeat version of Monster's Ball, this film is essentially about two damaged people finding peace with themselves but despite a very strong opening it feels like a bit of a case of style over substance. It's well written and well acted all round (yes, even by Jasper Timberland himself) but it kind of loses its way towards the end and just kind of peters out. Entertaining, and well worth watching for yet another powerhouse performance by SLJ, but don't expect anything life changingly profound.
