Black Snake Moan (2006)

Black Snake Moan should not work as a movie. It's about a black man in the south who chains up a white nymphomaniac in his house so that she may be cured of her "disease." It's about a relationship between two broken people. It's about platonic love between an old man and a young woman. It's about the blues. It's about Memphis. None of this should work and combined, it should work even less.

But it does. Extremely well.

Black Snake Moan, which refers to a blues term about the darkest moment in love gone bad, stars Samuel L. Jackson as Lazarus and Christina Ricci as Rae, the lead characters in this inventive and entertaining story about broken hearts, damaged people and moving music. Jackson and Ricci are nothing short of stellar on the screen. And an additional nod should go to Justin Timberlake, who's recent acting work shows is a far greater talent than just a musician.

Written and directed by Craig Brewer, who also wrote and directed the critically acclaimed Memphis flick Hustle and Flow, again brings his deep history and passion of Memphis to the screen in a multi-layered film with deep, rich characters and an atmosphere that only a life-long resident of the area could bring.

In the end, this story is about the ultimate healing power of relationships and faith. It's about how love and not lust can overcome a lifetime of bad decisions. And it's this wonderfully enriching mix that lifts this film to an extremely high level.

Black Snake Moan is a film that works on so many personal levels it should touch everyone who gets a chance to see it.