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Back in the mid-‘90s—years before his wacky marriage to Angelina Jolie—Billy Bob Thornton was just a struggling actor from Arkansas whose resume included mostly bit parts and B-movies. But then he wrote a little movie called Sling Blade. He called in some of his friends to help him out—and the rest, as they say, is Hollywood history.
Writer/director Thornton also stars as Karl Childers, a man who’s spent most of his life in the state hospital—ever since he committed double homicide when he was just a confused 12-year-old boy.
After he’s released from the hospital, Karl has nowhere else to go, so he heads back to his hometown. There, he gets a job fixing lawnmowers, and he befriends Frank Wheatley (Lucas Black), a young boy who finds comfort in Karl’s unusual way of talking.
Taken in by Karl’s quiet, childlike demeanor and touched by his friendship with her son, Frank’s widowed mother, Linda (Natalie Canerday), invites Karl to stay in their garage. But her boyfriend, Doyle (Dwight Yoakam), makes it quite clear that he wants nothing to do with him—or with Frank, or with Linda’s best friend and boss, Vaughan (John Ritter), who just happens to be gay. The circumstances are all too familiar for Karl, and he begins to fear for Frank and Linda’s lives.
Sling Blade is a beautifully depicted Southern drama—filled with real characters, overflowing with heart, and lovingly written by a talented screenwriter who’s clearly passionate about his Southern roots.
It’s a simple but compelling sketch of an oddly fascinating character. Karl doesn’t really say all that much, but Thornton is such a gifted actor (and writer) that he doesn’t need to say much. Through the occasional revelations and candid observations, you’ll learn all you need to know about him. Despite his troubled past, you’ll care about him, too—and as the tension builds between Doyle and the Wheatleys, you’ll fear for Karl’s safety as much as (and maybe even more than) Frank and Linda’s. You’ll wish you could protect him—just as Karl wants to protect Frank from the sadness and tragedy of the grown-up world.
This isn’t an action-packed film. It’s not a comedy, either (though it does have plenty of lightly comical moments). It tackles some pretty heavy issues—from abuse to abortion—and it moves along at a pace that’s as leisurely as a hot summer day in the South. Still, the mounting tension, the sympathetic characters, and the riveting performances will easily hold your attention.
Sling Blade is a quietly compelling drama that will pull you in and break your heart. It’s often a difficult movie to watch, but it’s worth every heartbreaking—and heartwarming—minute of your time.
Blu-ray Review:
Miramax’s Award-Winning Collection Blu-ray release of Sling Blade is loaded with extras—around four hours of them, in fact (not including Thornton’s commentary track). This includes Mr. Thornton Goes to Hollywood, an hour-long, 14-part biography that covers everything from Thornton’s childhood to his early experiences in Hollywood (including some important advice from Billy Wilder) and the making of Sling Blade. The feature includes interviews with friends, family, and peers. There’s also a 40-minute Bravo profile on Thornton and his work, which covers many of the same topics as the first feature, only with more breadth and a little more polish.
The disc also includes a number of Sling Blade-specific extras, including an hour-long roundtable discussion with a number of cast and crew members and several other conversations with various other cast and crew members, along with on-set rehearsals, a short behind-the-scenes feature, and a deleted scene that was originally supposed to be shown after the credits.
For fans of Sling Blade—or, especially, of Billy Bob Thornton—the Sling Blade special features are worth checking out. Just be sure to block of a huge chunk of time to do so.
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