Some of you may have seen the poster for "Black Snake Moan"; it's pretty hard to miss. Glowering at the viewer is Samuel L. Jackson, looking pretty burly in a dirty white tank-top, holding a heavy-looking chain. All chained up is Christina Ricci, on her knees in a skimpy outfit, and throwing a meaningful look. It's topped off by a salacious slogan: "Everything is HOTTER down South."
Yet however much this may look like an exploitation movie, "Black Snake Moan" is strictly wannabe; it talks the talk, but it sure don't walk the walk. The loaded image in the poster is deliberately pushing buttons and playing with stereotypes, and yet the movie can't deliver on this promise.
Director Craig Brewer seeks to set his film up as a cinematic version of the blues. The title comes from a Blind Lemon Jefferson song, and the film opens with an old clip of bluesman Son Kite talking into the mike. "Ain't but one kind of blues," he says. "Two people supposed to be in love, but one deceives the other through their love."