Review of Sling Blade (1996) by Brendan C — 26 Jan 2013

This is a top 5 favorite for me, and an absolutely phenomenal movie that I have watched over and over again. Billy Bob Thornton became a famous indie film star after he wrote the screenplay for the film, and he directed it. He plays the protagonist of the story Carl Childers. Carl is a mentally retarded man who just got released from the mental hospital. His parents abused him when he was young, and the disowned him. The forced him to sleep out in a shed, and his mother would feed him regularly. He got put in the hospital because he caught his mother having sex with another man, and then he killed them both with a sling blade. He is a gentle man who you would be surprised to hear that he killed somebody, because he just seems so innocent. He has a thick accent, and talks in a funny way. He mostly doesn't make eye contact with people unless he has to say something really serious. He is a very interesting character that is retarded, but smart at the same time. He has certain skills like he can repair any kind of engine.

When he gets out he meats a boy named Frank Wheatley (Lucas Black) who takes an interest in him, and they become good friends. Carl goes to live with Frank and his mother, which seams like it would be perfect for him. Franks mother has an abusive boyfriend named Doyle Hargraves (Dwight Yoakam) who is nasty as it gets. He is homophobic, hates kids, and Carl. It is a stereotypical abusive relationship where the mother won't leave the man, because after every incident he always comes back and is really nice. Plus he threatened to kill her if she left him. Doyle is vicious but he is also really funny. He has a ton of really awful, but hilarious lines like "Carl is likely to bust a spring he is already off balance." The film has a lot of humor, and sadness in it at the same time. The scene when Doyle goes crazy when he has his band get together at the house is hilarious, but really awful when you think of it.

Frank is a sad kid, but a great one. Lucas Black did such a great job portraying him. He seemed almost like Jim from To Kill A Mockingbird. A lot of the scenes in this film are ones that would be really hard to act out, and he is just fantastic in every scene. His father killed himself because he thought he couldn't take care of him and his mom. He looks at Carl as a father now, and they form a really close bond with each other. He is very innocent, but naïve. Carl told him that he got put in a hospital because he "Killed some folks" and tells him to come by someday to say hi. Carl does, and they go to the store that his mother works at. Frank tells his mother part of Carl's situation and leaves out the part of being a killer and he just got out of the hospital. The whole thing was a very naïve and innocent thing to do not knowing that you just tricked your own Mother to letting a man who just got out of the institution live in your house.

Vaughan Cunningham (John Ritter) is the man who Franks mother works for. He is an openly gay man, who is very feminine, but a really nice guy. He has to keep his love life private, because in a small town any thing about his sex life will get around. He doesn't leave because of Frank and his mother, and his concern for them with Doyle around. Doyle harasses him, and picks on him for being gay. He knows what a destructive force Doyle is so he worries all of the time. John Ritter plays that role perfectly, and like all the other characters in the film pulls off some really tough and emotional acting. His role did add a lot to the story, and he was probably the most likeable guy in the film.

Doyle Hargraves (Dwight Yoakam) is a stereotypical redneck, abusive man. He always says things like "I'm hurting" to manipulate her into feeling bad for him, and hoping she will take him back. Reality is that he isn't really hurting he is just insane, and a manipulative guy. He cheats on her, and tricks her all the time. He does have a ton of funny lines however. That is the only reason why you can stand him. But you still hate him.

A lot of this film uses nature, and music. The music is very peaceful, and so is nature. They both add a lot to the film, but the music does the most. When you really do notice the music that means that it is really good, and that it is great for the scene. Especially at the end. The music changes as the film goes along, and Carl changes a lot too. In the end Carl is a changed man, and he has peace of mind now. The opening scene and the closing scene are the same except you see a total change in Carl in the ending scene. I will not say exactly what it was, but this is an unbelievable movie with amazing character development, drama, acting, dialogue, and just a fantastic script.