Review of Sling Blade (1996) by Danny D — 05 Sep 2008

Touching and thought provoking. Sling Blade added an element that I didn't truly realize was missing, from movies such as "Rain Man" and "Forrest Gump", and that's the elemnt of simplicity. While the characters of Raymond & Forrest were simple people, they had complex lives, and could do some great things.

Where as the character of Karl, played by Billy Bob Thornton (who wrote and produced this as well), was a simple man, who comitted a terrible act as a kid, but we know without even guessing, that he didn't know any better. We can see he had a troubled up-bringing, long before he actually said so. We can see it in his face, we couldn't see that in the previous movies I mentioned.

Along the way, Karl, gets lost in society, not knowing what to do, or how to act. And being mentally handicapped doesen't help. With the help of the supervisor at the hospital where he'd been all these years, he lands a job fixing small engines at a garage shop, and seemingly out of nowhere, befriends a small young boy outside a Laundroamt.

Soon, Karl moves into the home, where the boy lives with his mother, and the house always seems occupied by the mother's, drunk and verbally abusive, and just downright nasty boyfriend Doyle, (played to complete and utter perfection by country singer Dwight Yoakam), who we see is also quite dangerous.

Karl & Frank, despite being different are quite smillar and many ways. Which is what makes this film's centeral relationship work. The boy craves a father figure, and obviously would never get that from nasty Doyle. The two don't act like father and son however, they're just two men, looking for acceptance, in the world.

Another great role in the movie, is played by TV star, John Ritter, who plays Vaughn, who is the best friend of the mother, and genuinely cares about her, despite being gay, and looks out for Frank. He too is not fond of Doyle, and makes that very clear.

I love how Thornton doesen't try to hard to be sweet and tender, where despite the fact I loved both Rain Man, and Forrest Gump, by the end of each movie however, I felt as it, they were just aiming way to high, especially in the latter.

It just seemed to come naturally, to Thornton, playing the role of Karl.

All the relationships in this movie, really conveyed something different and special in each of them. The movie doesen't come off as contrived, when discussing the history of the main characters involved.

One of the scenes that I thought was amazing, and I won't give too much away for those who haven't seen it, was when Karl, is standing on the front porch, of Vaughn's house, and says something to him, and we see the expression on Vaughn's face, in a great bit of expressive action from Ritter, to me, that's one of the most touching scenes in the movie.

The tender moments between Karl & Frank, are not over the top, and just seem realistic. The dialogue isn't over the top, and I love how the two of them can relate to each other in many different ways.

I also have to say that both Ritter & Yoakam were definitely overlooked come Oscar time (neither of them would've beat Cuba Gooding Jr., but that's not the point), and while we may know Thornton now as the guy who plays an obnoxious jerk of an A-hole, in every movie he's in, but his performance here was nothing short of Oscar calibur, and I truly believe Geoffery Rush's overrated performance in "Shine", had nothing on this movie.

Truly wonderful & perfect.