REEL FANS:Soulful ‘Snake’

Daily Pilot staffer Sue Thoensen went to Edwards Island 7 to get moviegoers’ opinions of “Black Snake Moan,” starring Samuel L. Jackson, Christina Ricci, Justin Timberlake and S. Epatha Merkerson.

Rae (Christina Ricci) is a troubled, alcoholic, drug-addicted young woman who can’t control her wild side after her boyfriend (Justin Timberlake) enlists in the military and leaves town.

Alone and unable to cope, Rae loses control one night and ends up bruised, beaten and left for dead on the side of the road.

She is rescued by Lazarus (Samuel L. Jackson) — a man fighting his own demons — who takes Rae to his house in the woods so he can nurse her back to health and attempt to save her soul.

“I really enjoyed the movie. It had some depth and I liked the biblical references. I felt that the movie had a certain [simplicity], and I think that it [the subject] wasn’t something that was overly sensationalized. It was dealing with topics that we usually don’t talk too much about. I liked God being the anchoring point of the movie — I should say the point of reference. That was uplifting. I think Samuel L. Jackson did a really good job, and Christina Ricci also — she typically plays unusual characters. I definitely liked this movie, and I’m going to be thinking about it for the next few days. I’d recommend it.”

ROBERT KUTZNER

Newport Beach

“I thought the movie was very original. It showed that everyone’s human, and he — the character that Samuel L. Jackson played — showed his humanity. He admitted his weaknesses, but when he noticed he was weak, he ran — he turned the other way and took off running, rather than put himself in a position to give in to that temptation. That was really strong, and I think it’s really powerful in today’s society because society teaches us to dive right in, indulge our senses, indulge our pleasures. And the movie really sends a strong message: When you hold your ground and you stand up for who you are and what you believe in, you can actually have an impact on society when people are corrupted. I think Samuel L. Jackson showed his great diversification in playing a different role than he’s never played before that I’ve seen. Christina Ricci has that great actress skill, she has potential, and this movie shows it.”

CHRISTIAN WEBER

Newport Beach

“I think it was a nice movie, nothing exceptional, but I liked the idea of redemption. It was kind of interesting, that we have to fight with our demons. To survive sometimes, just to redeem ourselves. I know Samuel L. Jackson — he’s great, but I don’t know much about Justin Timberlake except that he’s an artist — he didn’t do too bad. The movie seemed to [be able] to convey [its] message.

SEAN SHERDIL

India

“I thought the movie delivered quite well. It’s an homage to the ‘swamp gothic’ films of the early ‘70s. There was a whole genre of this kind of film — the real steamy, very spiritual, redemption films. It’s got a little bit of a 21st century gloss on it — it’s not as dirty as those films were, but it was good entertainment. The cast was excellent — Samuel L. Jackson can do no wrong. Christina Ricci — that was quite a brave performance. I heard the chain was actually real — that she couldn’t perform with a plastic chain, so it had to be the real serious heavy metal, so to speak. They [the characters] eased through their demons a little easily, but I’d still give it a high B.”

MATT KETO

Costa Mesa