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Sling Blade
1996
Karl Childers, a simple man hospitalized since his childhood murder of his mother and her lover, is released to start a new life in a small town. Read more
| Starring | Billy Bob Thornton, Dwight Yoakam, J.T. Walsh, John Ritter |
|---|---|
| Director | Billy Bob Thornton |
| Genres | Drama |
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Sling Blade
Karl Childers, a simple man hospitalized since his childhood murder of his mother and her lover, is released to start a new life in a small town.
| Starring | Billy Bob Thornton, Dwight Yoakam, J.T. Walsh, John Ritter, Lucas Black, Robert Duvall |
|---|---|
| Director | Billy Bob Thornton |
| Studio | WALT DISNEY STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 15 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Hearing-impaired | English |
| Released | DVD: 18 Jul 2005 Production year: 1996 |
| Format | DVD |
Sling Blade (1996)
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Critics' reviews (3)
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Developed from the short Some Call It a Sling Blade, this stately and shockingly moving drama brought debutant director Billy Bob Thornton to international attention. In addition to winning an Oscar for his screenplay, he also drew a best actor nomination for his mesmerising performance as hesitant, seemingly harmless handyman Karl Childers. It's a case of Norman Bates meeting Tennessee Williams in a sleepy Deep South hollow as Childers befriends a lonely boy on being released from the secure hospital where he'd been held for 25 years after murdering his mother and her beau. This is darkly comic, superbly acted and utterly compelling.
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Thornton made his mark as writer and actor in One False Move, and his directorial debut (from his own Oscar-winning... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful member's review
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32 out of 34 people found this review helpful
One of the most stunning movies you will ever see
?Sling Blade? is an emotional roller coaster of a film which establishes Billy Bob Thornton as one the best actors, writers, and directors around toady. ?Sling Blade? revolves around the story of the mentally handicapped Karl Childers, who is committed to a mental hospital at the age of twelve for double murder of his mother and her lover, and on release his attempt as an adult to make it in the outside world. Upon his release Childers is given a mechanics job fixing lawn mower engines and befriends a young boy, his widowed mother, and her gay best friend. Unfortunately, the mother's drunken, violent boyfriend cannot accept Karl getting in the way of his relationship, and sets out to make things miserable for everyone, especially the young boy. As the film moves along, there can be no doubt where things are going to end up. You can see the conflict brewing from miles away, but the action holds your interest throughout. The ultimate tragedy of ?Sling Blade? is that Childers is a basically kind hearted gentle soul whose abusive childhood and marginal intelligence made him unable to function without violence. More importantly, deep down Childers knows this; he knows he cannot function as a free man, and simply cannot protect the ones he loves without violence. The result is one of the most sympathetic and stunning performances of character ever seen in a movie, and quite deservedly has resulted as Billy Bob Thornton being regarded as one of the great heavyweights of movie acting. ?Sling Blade? is a beautifully written, acted and directed film that deserves much praise and attention, and an experience you will not forget.
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Most recent members' review
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
Over-sentimental and lacking in tension
Slow-paced in the worst sense: over-sentimental, lacking in tension (though the storyline is begging for it), the script is banal and the characters one-dimensional. It just doesn't ring true - so many good-hearted, tolerant people and one big bully. Yet even he (the Baddy) doesn't create much sense of threat. The film would have worked better if he'd been more frightening. On the positive side, I agree with reviewers who praise the acting, especially the excellent performance of Lucas Black, who plays Karl's young friend. Somehow the story just sags.
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