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I have this theory ...

That all the critics of this movie are really the same person. Proof: They all use the terms "cardboard," "one note," and "little movie." You'll find that same person writing sparkling reviews of "Die Hard."

Thoroughly Thornton!

A magnificent film! Watching Billy Bob, I was reminded of Bo Radley (Robert Duvall)in To Kill a Mockingbird. The irony of seeing Duvall in Sling Blade made it that much more rewarding. Yes, it's true, the ending was inevitable, but so what? The journey to the end was what made this film the gem that it is. Dwight Yoakam made my skin crawl, and Lucas Black as little Frank brought out my motherhood instinct. Protect that boy, Karl! And he did. This had all the elements of a great film: an unselfish hero who brings about changes in the lives of others in a meaningful way. Granted, had his mental capabilities been greater he might have made another choice. Given the circumstances of the film, there was no other choice.

This movie was OK...

This movie was heart gripping but did not rise to the occasion on most scenes. I am still blown away by Billy Bob's performance. He did a great job in the movie as well as Lucas Black who played Frankie. The movie offered great emotional scenes but sometimes the affect of it did not take its toll throughout the movie. The music maybe had an affect on that because I think it took away from the movie by giving the viewer a different perception on what was really being shown. I do agree with everyone that it was a great movie do not get me wrong. I just think that it could have been done to make a more powerful heart gripping movie. It seemed very simplistic at times within the movie because of the scenes when the mother's boyfriend is drunk. The affect on those scenes really did not setup for the scene when Karl went to kill him because I do not think they showed Doll or whatever his name was out to be a monster of a man. He just seemed like he had some problems with alcohol but there was really now reason to kill him. I understand he was hurting the family but they did not make him out to be a good villain in the movie. Anyways I still think that this movie was a great movie if you are a big Billy Bob Thorton fan but in my opinion the scenes could have made a bigger impact on the viewer than what it did.

Baffled

I just don't get it. People have been raving about this wretched little excuse for a movie for nearly three years now, and such estatics just don't make sense. The plot is extremely simplistic, the characters woefully clinched, and yes, the acting is so bad it can't even qualify as an Ed Wood film. Billy Bob Thonrton's performance is one note. He slouches and grunts and this is supposed to be what passes for great acting.

I adore independent film, but this one is a major dog people. Avoid at all costs.

It rings true

I don't know anything about the technicalities of film-making, and all of that has been discussed by other posters, so I won't bother mentioning it.But I will mention that the best part of this movie for me is that it rings so true of the rural southern way of life. Billy Bob Thornton has a way of capturing true southern speech patterns and dialect, which is no surprise because it's what he heard all his life. No cotton-pickin'-honey-chile phoniness in his dialogue, and I appreciate that. I always smile when Karl says, "Coffee makes me kindly nervous." Karl Childers is put into an institution for the criminally insane for the simple reason that he tried to protect his mother from what he thought was a bad man, and protect her the only way he knew how. It's a sad commentary that he gets punished for essentially nothing more than a misplaced sense of chivalry.This chivalrous aspect is obviously part of his basic make-up, but in 20 years of rehabilitation -- "They say I'm well." -- he is never taught how to channel it correctly and in the end he once again gets punished for doing what he feels he must do to protect someone else; he does the wrong thing for the right reason.My favorite scene is the one where Karl tries to re-tell the off-color joke that his boss told at lunch. Karl tells it the best way he can recall, in order to break the awkward silence in the kitchen after the long night of Doyle's drunkeness and abuse. Linda's comment of "I'll be dogged" is perfect.The only problem I have with this film -- and it's a minor one -- is the scene where Karl is playing football with the boys. Here is a man who spent most of his boyhood locked in a shed and has been kept away from society for the last 20 years; I don't think he would know how to play the game, even given that football is a religion in the south.All right then.

billy bob's best acting performance

this was without a shadow of a doubt the next best thing since gump the only thing that differs from gump is the length this movie doesn't try to be funny it was meant to be more of a dramatic film but once who see and hear how billy bob's plays mentally retird like hanks did in gump you can't help but laugh the late great talented comic actor john ritter also starred in this as a gay man who protects billy in the movie i love the relationship between billy bob and the little boy thoughout the film it made the movie more speical because he could relate to the little boy and the little boy could relate to him billy character was a well spoken but sick minded person who had a severly crazy side to him a nice lady who is the little boy's mom takes billy under her wing to good care of him but her abusive boyfriend is impatience and quickly doesn't like billy he is also jealous of the strong relationship between him and the little boy because he is suppose to be the father figure but he saw that the little boy wanted billy to be his dad or much older brother since he was mentally challenge at the end of the movie the mean man gets what he deserves

Doyle was not that bad, it was just a stupid guy!

Spoiler!! I believe that when Karl murder Doyle, I was not pleasant , I was annoying with Doyle because how he treat Frank and his Mother but not sufficient to killed him, could be worst, I saw Doyle very weak when he drink in the room,Frank begun to throw things to him and he crouch itself and he cry, a real bad guy wont act like that, It was stupid to me, with a good punishment he would leave that family peacefully, Doyle would have the guts to kill no body, personal I believe that it will be the best thing for all.

"john ritter is terrific"

"i passed up watching this movie a dozen times..always catching it in the middle or near the end" i have always been a big fan of john ritter and the role he plays in (sling blade) was diffrent and portrayed john as being more then a comedian,he can still be funny but serious too.so to anyone who has been hesitant on watching this movie...watch it and i garantee you wont be disapointed,who knows you may even run out and buy you a copy just like i did.i give it ***** plus many more.

great movie

one of billy bobs best performances ever. movie had great depth and kept you wanting more.

Billy Bob Thornton's start to stardom

This film is amazing in so many ways, but the way that i was amazed by it the most is How Billy Bob Thornton did a great job Directing this movie, Writing the story up, and Acting in it as well. The best part of that, is he did it very well. Lucas Black who plays Frank in this film, did a great job. After this film, I saw Lucas in so many other films such as Crazy in Alabama, All the Pretty Horses( also directed by Mr. Thornton), and The Ghosts of Mississippi. Billy Bob Thornton did a great performance in this film, and desevered to be where he is today. After this film was made, Billy Bob became more sucessful... i can see why.I give it **** out of ***** stars.

Slow, beautiful, wondrous...

Personally, one of my favorite films. Its amateurish feel is overwhelmed by Billy Bob Thornton's inherent knack for telling a story and creating intriguing characters who defy even three dimensions.A true lesson in filmmaking, painting, writing, sculpting, acting, photography, music, and any other artform.If you didn't want to be a filmmaker BEFORE watching "Sling Blade," you'll definitely want to be behind a camera some day AFTER.Give the short version, "Some Folks Call it a Sling Blade" a go, too. Molly Ringwald in her "best" role.

Physically Very Demanding for Billy Bob - it seems

I've watched this movie four times. Very unusual for me. It helped that Encore kept showing it and I was home sick. The second and third times I tried to count how many times Karl said "Alright, then" but lost track. MILD SPOILERSLater, I tried doing some of the physical things Billy Bob had to do in this movie:1. Jut out his lower jaw and keep his lips in a straight line - neither smiling or frowning - and then talking much of that time. Try it in the mirror - it's not easy.2. His profile - his neck came forward off his shoulders at a 45 degree angle - probably a result of his sleeping in that hole in the ground throughout his developing years (Karl's). Try it for 1 minute - it hurts!3. I read on this page that he put broken glass in his shoes to perfect that walk. Can't believe that would be true, but if so, WOW!4. Talking with that raspy, guttural voice. I'm guessing that hurt every night.5. Eat all those french fried potaters with mustard - or maybe he likes them that way.That's it. I just was really impressed with all BBT did to bring this story to the screen.

Fantastic portrait

I saw that film very late, after Thornton's success with it and after I've seen him in a lot of other movies (just before 'Sling Blade' I saw 'Primary Colors') and it was a bit surprising to see him like that. His role in 'A Simple Plan' is a bit similar to it but that was also later. Actually everything was after 'Sling Blade' and so I was looking forward to see him in this one.It was a great film and you have to say it is all Thornton's effort. The screenplay is great, the directing too and his performance is astonishing. The story was alright but not totally innovative. I was surprised to see some changes in this 'formula'. What impressed me mostly was the way the other people in the town reacted to Carl. You know it from other movies, where everybody is whispering when they see him and nobody wants to have something to do with him. Here it isn't like that. He is accepted although everybody knows his story. The character of Doyle wasn't that surprising. You know this kind of guy and you saw him many times before. As always I just didn't understand how a normal woman could come to such a man especially not long after her husband's death. But anyway...The film was really good and especially the end was really impressing. Now I understand how Thornton could become succesful with it. He deserved it.8/10 \ 3/4 \ 2 (1+ - 6-)

Endearing... Even to the Last Heart-Tugging Scene!

There seems to be a sub-genre of drama where mentally handicap men make good (Forrest Gump, Of Mice and Men, Rain Man, just to name a few). SLING BLADE is by far one of the most moving. When we are first introduced to the mentally retarded Karl we have a little anxiety towards him, but shortly we are filled with feelings of love. The performance of Billy Bob Thornton is by far the most amazing of his career. All the cast, even John Ritter in a highly unusual role as a gay dollar store manager, bring the movie to life. It is a joy to watch and makes you love it. See it today! You will not regret it!

Religious imagery in "Sling Blade"

An excellent movie. Superb actors animate believable characters to tell a simple, moral story that is chock full of imagery from Christianity and Greek mythology. Not your typical Hollywood fare, unfolding slowly, the movie has some interesting music as well. Although not for everyone, many people will find this movie richly rewarding, especially on the second and third viewings as more of the imagery becomes apparent.

Two hours of happy ending movie with a not-happy ending

When i watched the movie this evening i didn't know anything about it at all. So i was in a good mood after the start of the film was quite well done. It had false hints, a main character that seems almost unique and a really promising introduction into the plot. So i thought this might be about a retard that isn't as lucky in life as Forrest Gump is. But i thought wrong. After the good start the movie just went a horrible way. Everything turned out sooooooooo nicely for that poor guy Karl, people forgave him his murdering, he got a job, everyone was sooooooooo friendly and accepted him. The homosexual guy trusts him so quickly and tells Karl how he can't do an outing. He and the poooooooooor kiddo get best friends. Problem is, this continues almost two hours. It was like a terrible happy ending all over the movie. Next problem, i didn't wonder about the ending at all, when he kills that bad bad bad boyfriend. In fact i was hoping all movie long that he would do that. So maybe this this whole happy story was about to let us not think, that Karl would murder again. But this attempt completely failed. Well i was once working with retarded children and i loved that job, so i don't think that Billy Bob Thornton's acting was very good. If you want to see a brilliant performance, then watch Rainman with Dustin Hoffman. Also Forrest Gump does so much better regarding acting of the main character. But Thornton's acting was surely the best of this movie. The other actors in Sling Blade were pretty much worse. Totally plain and stereotype characters. The homosexual that doesn't like violence at all. The Mother, that can't get away from her bad boyfriend. The other retarded girl. I really didn't like any character at all. To sum it all up i liked the beginning and i was hoping for a really good and interesting story, but after a while of good hope i had to realize how bad this plot actually is.

Well-written and acted

As a director, Thornton is a little green; some scenes are too long, while others are too showy. But he's written a great role for himself, and he acts it well without vanity or sentimentality. And the good part of his direction is the way he handles the other actors, particularly Lucas Black, John Ritter(whom I'm not a big fan of), and Dwight Yoakam. Robert Duvall and J.T. Walsh put in nice cameo appearances as well. And the music score written and produced by Daniel Lanois was haunting as well, particularly when Emmylou Harris hums "Shenendoah" while Karl is being baptized, since she definitely has the voice of an angel.

I was not blown away, nor was I disappointed.

Now for a long time I had heard well of the film "Sling Blade", particularly for the fact that I had not met even a single person who has seen it that disliked it. On top of this fact Billy Bob Thornton is one of my most favored actors, one of those select few who I have never seen play a role I did not like even if I did not care for the film itself.This all being known I could not pass up the open opportunity to see the film on HBO OD, as it would cost me nothing but two hours of my time even if I was not all too fond of the movie.The acting is the up-point of the film, being exceptional even by the standards of Thornton and never really lacking. However, this is all based upon Hollywood perspective, as I am yet to see even a single film where anyone acts like a real person to even a mild degree. For these standards, the film's performances are exceptional.You really buy into it being a small southern town, as well as the leading character Karl having a long ago history there. Many characters know of him or at least his actions that got him placed into the institution all those years ago, but none of them truly know him as he was very young and few of them know it was he personally who committed such acts. The leading character, while being mentally challenged and a bit difficult to understand at times, is quite likable in spite of his past and you really learn to care for him, knowing that not a single action of his life had true malice behind it as much as simple ignorance.The storyline is interesting, be it a tad unoriginal and simplistic, but perhaps this is not a bad thing at all. The flow is quite smooth, if a little slow at times. The pace is fairly enjoyable, though, constructed and progressed well. It is a fine example of character study, however the supporting characters are a bit shallow and forgotten under the heavy focus of Karl himself.The antagonist is quite convincing and well acted, but the problem there is the lack of a true depth to him. You see several negative acts committed by him, but none that truly warrant him as a bad person but much closer to simply an every day aggressive drunk. He is nothing special or interesting, and while this is the point to his character the movie does not tell you enough about him on an emotional and mental level to really learn to dislike him fairly, it nearly feels forced.Overall, the film is quite good and definitely worth the time you will spend on it. It is a little flat and slow at times, as well as quite predictable, but it has heart and talent behind it. Billy Bob is at his best, and if you are a fan of his you should not miss this film. However, sadly that seems to be the strongest audience that will positively receive it. While the average movie-goer is certain to approve, I somewhat doubt that anyone who dislikes Billy Bob specifically will find anything redeeming enough to make the film stand out.I give this film a seven out of ten, for being well acted and designed, but falling a bit flat in substance and originality.

IN COLD BLOOD

SLING BLADE is a tragedy. In fact, all the ingredients of the ancient greek tragedies are there. The murdered mother, the abandoned brother and the almighty Fate which will pursue Karl during his whole life. Billy Bob Thornton's hero is the symbol of the weakest of the weakest : the children, the women, ...the handicapped people,... and the others.

The first 15 minutes of SLING BLADE are also a lesson of great cinema. Karl, for the first and the last time, will talk freely, in the dark. Let's hear the musical score of Daniel Lanois that goes with this scene. Emotionally perfect.

SLING BLADE is also the movie of a stupendous actor, Billy Bob Thornton, who carries the whole film on his bended shoulders. Hats off !

No trailer nor production notes and a really bad french dubbed version. If you don't speak english, you'd better learn to read spanish in order to enjoy SLING BLADE and the talent of Billy Bob.

A DVD for your library.

A pleasant surprise

A friend dropped this off for me to watch last night. I had never heard of it (96 was a fuzzy year), and from the cover on the tape, it didnt look all that promising. Anyway, I popped the tape in and let it run while i was doing other things on the pc. I gotta tell ya, after about 20 minutes I turned the pc off, rewound the tape, and watched again from the start. Wow. You would really have to be cold hearted not to feel for this guy. ******************SPOILERS AHEAD******************************** ***********SPOILERS AHEAD*************************************** I found myself hoping what happened was not going to happen..I wanted it to all work out, the evil boyfriend to get his ass kicked real good and sent on his way, and for Karl to stay, and happy ending and all that..Sadly this was not the case, however I still felt for him in the final scene. I was hoping maybe they would show the boy and maybe his mom come for a visit to the hospital, or something like that....Still..See this movie..If you have a heart you'll enjoy it.