Billy Bob Thornton, Dwight Yoakam, J.T. Walsh

Billy Bob Thornton wrote, directed, and starred in this mesmerizing drama with haunting overtones of To Kill a Mockingbird. Thornton plays a mentally retarded man who has spent 20 years in a ps...( read more  read more... )ychiatric hospital for killing his mother and her lover. Released into the community from which he came, he befriends and protects a lonely boy regularly harassed and abused by his mom's boyfriend (a terrific performance by Dwight Yoakam). The story is ultimately about sacrifice, but Thornton certainly doesn't get twinkly about it. Some of the best material concerns the hero's no-big-deal efforts to integrate into a "normal" life: working, eating fast food, earning admiration for his handyman skills, and attaining a semblance of community among other damaged souls. John Ritter has a great part as a gay shopkeeper who tries to assuage his own loneliness by spilling his guts out to Thornton's uncomprehending character. --Tom Keogh

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91% liked it

18,747 ratings

Critics

96% liked it

47 critics

R, 2 hrs. 13 min.

Directed by: Billy Bob Thornton

Release Date: May 7, 1997

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DVD Release Date: January 1, 1998

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Stats: 2,707 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (2,707)


  • September 21, 2009
    Billy Bob Thornton is as good a director as he is an actor and he proves it in Sling Blade (well, at least he does as far as the directing goes). This is a really good film. It?s a shame Lucas Black grew up though as he was much better as a child actor.
  • September 5, 2009
    Billy Bob Thronton writes, directs and stars in this very moving and very human drama. Thornton plays Carl, a man just released from a psychiatric hospital after killing his mother and her lover, when he was just 12 years old. Carl is a simple man, but like many films, he has ple...( read more)nty of knowledge to share with those around him, even if they don't realise it. Ritter gets the best material, and shows himself to be the legendary talent that he was. He plays gay without being ridiculous. Thornton remembers to serve the comedy, drama and tension in small doses throughout, making this a surprisingly edgy watch. It's shot with great restraint, long takes letting the action evolve in front of us.
  • August 11, 2009
    great story man
  • November 20, 2008
    "Sometimes a hero comes from the most unlikely place."

    Karl Childers, now a grown man, is released from a psychiatric hospital where he has been hospitalized since the age of 12 for the murder of his mother and her lover. He returns to his childhood town and although bein...( read more)g mentally handicapped, gets a job fixing small motors at a local repair shop. Karl befriends a young boy, Frank, and is soon invited by Frank's mother, Linda, to move into the family's garage. As a strong relationship develops between Karl and Frank, a confrontation builds with Linda's abusive and sometimes violent boyfriend Doyle.

    Review
    The film that made Billy Bob Thornton. Sling Blade brought out the best in him and this is Billy Bob sans Mr. Woodcock sans School for Scoundrels and whatever low class comedy he's made. He took a challenging dramatic role and he nails it in the coffin. I must admit, I wasn't expecting him to be this superb, I guess I underestimated the guy. Billy Bob just came out of nowhere with his explosive performance as reformed criminal/mentally challenged Karl Childers. One can only wonder how he ended up in tasteless movies and tedious comedies. Not only did he act but he also directed and wrote the film. Nothing more can be said other than, he really was passionate about this project and it shows when you see the movie. Great script, great cast and great performances all around.

    This is Billy Bob's shining moment and is undoubtedly the highest point of his career and credits is where credits due but you just can't help but also notice the support cast which includes Dwight Yoakam as the fiend of a step dad to a very young Lucas Black's character Frank. Black and Billy Bob glued perfectly on screen and you'll just love hating Yoakam's menacing performance. All in all, a brilliant film with powerful performances and quite possibly the best film of 1996.
  • August 8, 2008
    AMAZING movie. Billy Bob was fantastic in this. There's really not much else to say. I was very much blown away.
  • October 31, 2009
    Actor and director Billy Bob Thornton has had an illustrious career and whenever a discussion about his best role crops up, 'Sling Blade' is usually mentioned somewhere along the line. I had heard many positive things about 'Sling Blade' before I finally saw it, but nothing could...( read more) prepare me for the poignant and strong affect the movie was to have on me. From Billy's performance of a mentally retarded man who has recently been released from prison after the murder of his mother and her lover, to the performances within the notably strong cast from the likes of the abusive Dwight Yoakam and timid John Ritter. This excellent film moves slowly through the realms of character development, but it's climatic end is well worth the wait. Mixing elements of films like Forrest Gump, 'Sling Blade' is a modern classic.
  • October 29, 2009
    This movie is a must see
  • October 8, 2009
    "Billy Bob Thornton" Had "Sex" with "Halle Berry in "Monsters Ball!" "I wonder if she ever saw this movie? Would she have changed her mind?"
  • October 5, 2009
    Billy Bob stars, directs, and writes a brilliant film. Mm-rm.
  • September 20, 2009
    Atuação perfeita do Billy Bob Thorton, um ótimo filme

Critic Reviews


January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

If there were the slightest justice and curiosity in the Academy Award process, Thornton's work here would get a nomination. full review

View more Sling Blade reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • viccus
    December 14, 2008
    Haven't seen this film since it was released in the U.K but I remember enjoying it. Would really like to see it again.
  • pirateXgirlXclaudia
    November 26, 2007
    It's called drama, and most people actually appreciate it. It was a brilliant film and NO it wasn't meant to be a joke, this was seriously one of the most original yet powerful and touching movies I have seen.
  • itsme1232
    August 6, 2007
    Why does everyone seem to love this movie? It was the most boring, slow moving, predictable, pathetic waste of time ever. I knew the resolution after 15 minutes. Is this movie a joke? Was it supposed to be ble? Did everyone who saw this movie and subsequently reviewed it bash their head repeatedly on the sidewalk beforehand? The world may never know. I, for one, know that, had I not seen this movie, I would be more confident that the average person has an IQ greater than that of a common ground squirrel. Seriously, whats the big deal? I can sum it up in one sentence: Retarded biscuit-lovin' psycho kills man, plot. Don't see this travesty.
  • JesusZombie
    January 3, 2007
    One of the best movie ever made! And Dwight Yoakam was unreal in this move.

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Sling Blade Trivia


  • Who plays the main character in the movie Sling Blade?  Answer »
  • Who plays Karl in the movie Sling Blade?  Answer »
  • Billy Bob Thornton has an Academy Award. What did he do to win his Oscar?  Answer »
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