Producer John Singleton pretty much summed up the amount of sexual tension and controversy in this film when he said,"Twenty, thirty years ago, we couldn't have made this film. The locals would've been like,'What are these Hollywood mother******s doin' down here' "--get a rope! And that kind of sets the scene for everything that follows. Being from Alabama myself, and knowing how things "down South" kind of are, have been, and probably will be, seeing this unlikely situation play out both, had me at the edge of my seat, and kept me electrifyingly entertained! As it is, though, the film turns out to be less about race and class, than it is about ordinary people dealing with ordinary problems--it just happens to have stellar performances by extraordinary actors, as well as a scintillating Blues soundtrack!

Predictably, anything with Samuel L. Jackson in it is going to be a powerful hit, and this piece is no exception. He hits the scene as a man whose wife leaves him for his brother, and, in the "overall picture," he takes the high moral ground, quoting Bible scripture--even to the extent that she accuses him of putting a "curse" on her. Dejected, he initially drowns his sorrows in the town pub, and then returns to his decent shack, at the edge of town. Meanwhile, Christina Ricci's super-sexy character is dramatically begging her fiancee, Justin Timberlake, not to go off to the National Guard (and with good reason). She is an insatiable nymphomaniac, who canNOT resist the urge. Samuel and Christina's paths cross, and the explosive relationship that develops eventually leads both of their lives in different directions, but not without some REAL ups and downs!

The sexual content in this film is VERY graphic, but mostly in the first 10 minutes or so--after that, it is suggestive, but relatively tame. It WILL shock you, though--so be prepared.

In a nutshell, Ricci endures a night of sexual trysts with several guys, trying to fill the emptiness inside (and this is the result of sexual abuse by an apparent stepdad). She gets a ride home from a "friend," who tries to take advantage of her, but is rebuffed. Humiliated, he beats her, and leaves her for dead on the road by Jackson's home. Jackson awakes in the morning to find her on the road, suffering a high fever from exposure, and takes her inside to nurse her back to health. She awakes, and experiences one of her spells, attempting to seduce him, but he stays clear, and soon goes into town to get some medicine for her. While in town, he asks around, and finds that she has bedded nearly every guy in town--she has the "sickness." He returns, continues nursing her back to health, and decides to chain her to the radiator in his home, and to exercise her demons from her. This seems to be partially in an attempt to exercise his ex-wife's demons from her, ironically, in the same home where his union of holy matrimony fell apart. Of course, she goes "ballistic" when she realizes that she's a prisoner, and has fits and spells, and offers to bed him quite a few times, which never happens. He will "not be moved," however, in his quest to save her soul.

Over time, Ricci becomes endeared to Jackson, but not before a lot of "problems" are worked through. A few townspeople become suspicious, as Jackson rides in to purchase medicine, as well as feminine items, such as dresses "for his niece." He develops a budding relationship with a lady who works in the pharmacy, bringing her a basket of fresh vegetables from his garden, as well as some scented cream. She remains chained, however, with only enough slack to roam the house and use essential necessities. Meanwhile, her fiancee returns home, rejected by the Guard due to "anxiety"--it turns out that the ace sharpshooter cannot maintain his focus and concentration when loud noises abound.

Eventually, a minister friend of Jackson's comes out and discovers the scene. And this happens right after a scene that would be laughable, were it not so shockingly frank, unfolds--a teenage boy (Black, no less), comes around looking for him, in order to get some vegetables. However, Jackson is still on the way back from town. Ricci hides inside, fighting the urge to literally jump this boy's bones. He hears the chain, and decides to enter the house --"I'm coming in..!" He bursts through the door, and she pretty much LEAPS onto him. The camera, thankfully, zooms back, out of the house, and Jackson soon pulls up, discovers the scene, and rebuffs and kicks the boy out. He later apologizes (the boy hides in his shed), and said,"No man alive would've been able to keep his pants on..!" The minister then drives up, suspicious, and Jackson tries to head him off, but unsuccessfully. He has him counsel her, and the five of them have dinner together.

The next day, Jackson decides to unchain her. He said that no one should be kept from their destiny. She thinks it's a joke, but he makes good on it, and she decides to stay. By this time, he has dressed her like a lady, having had her exchange her "Daisy Duke" shorts and strip of a sweatshirt that had barely contained her considerable bosom, for a stately dress. That night, he famously said,"Hell, why fight this? We're both night owls!" and takes her to an African-American Blues club, allowing her the freedom to roam and dance, expressing herself in what might be described as a much more acceptable manner, while he performs on the stage. She dances the night away, but her fiancee, who has discovered the truth of her "infidelity" (to put it lightly), has been looking all over for her, and is watching through a window.

She willingly returns to Jackson's home, wrapping up her visit (no pun intended, or possible), and Jackson arranges for her to visit her estranged mother, who is well aware of her daughter's reputation as a very loose woman. She attempts to repair their rocky relationship, through a fairly calm conversation at the grocery mart where the mother works. The mother is incredulous, and says she's sorry she ever had her (and she refuses to join her for coffee). Ricci tried to get her to at least admit that she knew what the stepdad had been doing to her, but she vehemently claims that she never knew, and seems to want to keep the blame on Ricci herself (this was a very cruel scene). Ricci becomes infuriated and attacks her. Meanwhile, Jackson is outside, having a romantic coversation with the pharmacy worker. He notices a crowd forming, and rushes over, carrying Ricci out cradled like a baby, passionately protective of her. Of course, everyone is shocked, and not least of all, the romantic interest. He takes her home and chills her out again.

At the height of the drama, Timberlake (the fiancee) pulls up and creeps in with a drawn gun. He approaches upon a scene whereby Ricci is endearingly listening to a song that Jackson is playing, while tickling the strings of his guitar, bonks him on the head with the butt of his gun, and basically starts going "bonkers," threatening to shoot everyone. It really appears as this is about to end very badly, but, after some heated "discussion" (and some very good pseudo-psycho-babbling), Ricci and Jackson calm him down, and Jackson coaxes the minister friend over to further quell this stormy situation.

The falling action is very brief, but it follows a clean design, as most of the film is "rising" action (some pun intended). Ricci and Timberlake decide to work it out, and get married, with, both, the help of the deflowered boy ("I'm your best man"), and the pharmacy interest, in a very small ceremony, with Jackson acting as the dad (the mom is not present). Jackson begins an earnest romance with the cautious pharmacy lady, who decides to trust him, and, in the closing scene, Timberlake is driving out of town with Ricci, and has to pull off the road due to a panic attack, resulting from the large trucks honking at him. At the side of the road, Ricci is fighting her own demons, having a "nymph attack," which she successfully fends off, and comforts the fear-stricken Timberlake, who is doubled-over on the steering wheel, crying. "We're going to make it, baby," she says, and we, the audience, are led to believe that they lived "happily ever after," although with an ominous cloud or two, simmering with their demons.

This is a very provocative piece-especially "on paper"-but, again, really turns out to be a morality play. The producers point out that it isn't intended to be a realistic tale, but, rather, a "fable" of sorts. And the characters are not portraying a young, HOT, White woman being imprisoned by an older, Black man in a cottage in the woods, where ANYTHING could happen. And there is no detectable racial problems here--and that's the first sign that this is not a realistic film. Anyone knows that, in the real world, Jackson would've been on his way to the Southern equivalent of "San Quentin" quicker than he could've flipped a biscuit over, if he weren't already being trucked over to the morgue. The apparent sexual tension (and gripping story) had my wife and I GLUED to the television, however--an LG 37LC7D 37 LCD HDTV". It turns out to be about real people dealing with real problems, and the producers point out that it's creating wider awareness of a problem that needs the attention (sexual abuse of children).

The acting was superb! The range of emotions brought across by Ricci is incredibly broad--from naked grief and despair, pure eroticism and seductiveness, to muted joy--she almost comes across as 2 completely different people, at times. Jackson is at his best, as well, with a rock-steady delivery of a Bible-totin' Blues man with a REAL story to tell (love that gravelly voice!). And Timberlake is completely convincing as a clean-cut, vulnerable and innocent small-town boy, trying to escape his dire straits. The supporting cast are convincing as simple, small-town folk.

In this instance, I reviewed the HD-DVD. Using my Toshiba HD-A35 HD-DVD player, the picture quality seemed average--sharp and high-resolution, with mostly muted colors, which seemed to suit the dark country roads, night scenes, and dark subject matter--it would probably have been acceptable for an HDTV up-converted, so get the standard-definition version on sale, if you can. The extra features are about what you would get on a standard-def disc, as well--some deleted scenes, director's commentary, theatrical trailer, the "making of," and a photo gallery. The sound is Dolby Digital-Plus, with English & French (ohh la la!) 5.1 surround--good enough to bring across the dialogue, as well as the nuances of the Blues music, although I had to pump up the volume to hear the dialogue a few times, early on in the film. And it is subtitled in English, French, Spanish, and English SDH, for the deaf and hard-of-hearing. There were no online/interactive features in this version, but the deleted scenes are in 1080P high-definition, just as the entire film is. And the extra features are deeply-engrossing and entertaining, as this film can generate a LOT of discussion. The producers and directors prove to be a highly intelligent, creative bunch, that are passionate about their work, and they really have stories to tell about its making! I haven't had a chance to try it on my Toshiba HD-A3 HD-DVD player", but I'll update the review when I do.

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Here are a few of my other movie reviews...

"Wanted" is What U Want Nothing More. No Spoilers
The Joker is "One Sick Puppy!!!"The Dark Knight
This Movie is PERFECT for Our Times!(Iron Man)
Quite a Thrill Ride, Even for Non-fans! (Transformers)
Shrek is BAAAACK!!! (Shrek the 3rd)
Part-Comedy, and Part Thriller (Hot Fuzz)
Really Fires the Imagination-National Treasure 2
The Bourne "Realization"-- WHAT A RIDE!!!
The Core--A Witty and Inventive End-of-the-World Adventure!
Did You Know that P.S. Also Means Post-Supernatural?
Jet Li is the Dragon Emperor in latest Mummy Installment
Would You Be Afraid of A Bully Named "Cloverfield?" (Horror)



Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age