Pitched uncomfortably but compellingly between homage and exploitation in its big-hearted exploration of the steamiest corners of black life.
Free account saves your watchlist and ratings.
Black Snake Moan
Overview
A God-fearing bluesman takes to a wild young woman who, as a victim of childhood sexual abuse, is looking everywhere for love, but never quite finding it.
Director and cast
- Craig Brewer Director
- Christina Ricci as Rae
- Samuel L. Jackson as Lazarus
- Justin Timberlake as Ronnie Morgan
- S. Epatha Merkerson as Angela
- John Cothran as Reverend R. L.
- David Banner as Tehronne
- Michael Raymond-James as Gill
- Adriane Lenox as Rose Woods
- Kim Richards as Sandy
- Neimus K. Williams as Lincoln
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
Delightfully outrageous, Black Snake Moan is an explosive mixture of sex, race and down-South swamp water.
For Black Snake Moan to work any sort of magic, it must be viewed as a blues riff on damaged souls and their desperate need for salvation.
The movie strolls right past absurdity into offensiveness, by trying to pass this pulp nonsense off as noble art.
This is the kind of movie that's best enjoyed as a stylized fantasy, much like Brewer's most obvious model, Elia Kazan's Southern-fried Tennessee Williams adaptation Baby Doll.
More films
The Locusts (1997)
Drama · Romance · R
Delilah Potts has always had her choice of men to work her ranch and fill her bed. But from the moment Clay Hewitt, a handsome drifter with a mysterious past, arrives at her door, Delilah knows that her life will never be the same. And when he spurns her affections, she unleashes a torrent of forbidden passions and deadly secrets that ...
- Runtime
- 2h 4m
- Director
- John Patrick Kelley
- Cast
- Kate Capshaw, Vince Vaughn, Jeremy Davies
Honeydripper (2007)
Drama · Music · PG-13
In 1950s Alabama, the owner of the Honeydripper juke joint finds his business dropping off and against his better judgment, hires a young electric guitarist in a last ditch effort to draw crowds during harvest time.
- Runtime
- 2h 4m
- Director
- John Sayles
- Cast
- Danny Glover, LisaGay Hamilton, Yaya DaCosta
Sin City (2005)
Crime · Thriller · R
Welcome to Sin City. This town beckons to the tough, the corrupt, the brokenhearted. Some call it dark… Hard-boiled. Then there are those who call it home — Crooked cops, sexy dames, desperate vigilantes. Some are seeking revenge, others lust after redemption, and then there are those hoping for a little of both. A universe of unlikely...
- Runtime
- 2h 4m
- Director
- Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez
- Cast
- Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba, Clive Owen
Snow (1963)
Documentary · N/A
Comprising train and track footage quickly shot just before a heavy winter's snowfall was melting, the multi-award-winning classic that emerged from the cutting-room compresses British Rail's dedication to blizzard-battling into a thrilling eight-minute montage cut to music. Tough-as-boots workers struggling to keep the line clear are ...
- Runtime
- 8m
- Director
- Geoffrey Jones
Rail (1967)
Documentary · N/A
"Rail" captures British Railways at a major turning-point in its history. In certain respects, this was a period of considerable upheaval and loss. There was a facing-up to the increasing need for a big modernisation drive. Full and speedy electrification, or the wider promotion of diesel-power on remaining lines, became a matter of to...
- Runtime
- 14m
- Director
- Geoffrey Jones










Comments
Talk about the film with other members