Paramount Pictures, 2007

The plot: Lazarus (Jackson) is a deeply religious farmer and former blues player living in the rural South. Rae (Ricci) is apparently what used to be called a “nymphomaniac.” When her boyfriend Ronnie (Timberlake) is shipped out with the National Guard, she binges on drugs and promiscuity. A friend of Ronnie’s rapes and severely beats her, leaving her for dead. Lazarus discovers her and nurses her back to health through days of delirious fever. After Rae recovers, Lazarus chains her up and explains that it is his Christian duty to heal her of her sinning ways before he can release her.

Why it’s good: Samuel L. Jackson proves again that his range and talent are both substantial. Oscar-nominated for “Pulp Fiction,” here he plays a devout country bumpkin with a love for the blues who sees a chance for redemption in the loose and vulgar young woman played by Ricci. This is Greek tragedy disguised as modern southern gothic. Christina Ricci was in her last days of being curvy and voluptuous (she has since slimmed down, and her present Cub Scout figure and fawn eyes make for a truly marvelous insectoid appearance), and she admirably limns a horny hayseed. Timberlake, late of ’N Sync and Britney, gives a surprisingly informed performance. The rural Deep South is beautifully evoked in sight and sound, and director Craig Brewer (“Hustle and Flow,” 2005) approaches his solid material (he also wrote the script) with a combination of heavy, Robert Wise craftsmanship and light, Russ Meyer prurience (Ricci spends much of the film clad only in a T-shirt and panties).

Why you should own it: This is the kind of subject matter that was particularly hot (albeit more modestly so) on stage and screen in the 1950s and ’60s, including in Caldwell’s “God’s Little Acre,” O’Neill’s “Desire Under the Elms,” Williams’ “Baby Doll,” and Inge’s “Picnic,” to name a few.

“Black Snake Moan” is old fashioned, politically incorrect and has balls. Despite good reviews, great production values and strong credentials—and a salacious ad campaign with Ricci in chains—the movie bombed (anemic marketing by a discomfited Paramount may be the culprit.)

This film is engaging, sexy, fun and, ultimately, posits a positive moral message without pandering to the audience or resorting to the low-brow. The Paramount Classics DVD includes commentary by the director, deleted scenes, and three short features on aspects of the movie.