Review of Sling Blade (1996) by Ajala H — 13 May 2009
It absolutely amazes me that Billy Bob Thornton wrote and directed this. I can't stand the guy because I feel like he plays the same role in every movie (a lot of them bad); asshole. Completely opposite here as Billy Bob completely immerses himself in the role of Karl Childers.
Childers is a mentally retarded, ex-killer, who has a sweet and very loving side. The voice that Thornton uses cracks me up and I wonder how difficult it was to do. Not to mention the facial expression he wears throughout the film's entirety.
Props Billy Bob; major props. Not a bad performance in here with a pleasantly surprising strong supporting character in John Ritter. Ritter plays the gay friend who only wants happiness and safety for his loved ones (best friend, her son, his lover) and himself in the small hick town.
The most surprising role goes to Dwight Yoakum; wow. This shows that he's not just a guy who plays bit supporting roles, he can easily hold his own as a leading character in the right movie. Really just a great story all the way around of acceptance and sacrifice.
It's way better than what Clint Eastwood attempted to do with "Gran Torino". "Sling Blade" is sad, amusing, and touching and makes you care about its main characters. Very good stuff.
This review of Sling Blade (1996) was written by Ajala H on 13 May 2009.
Sling Blade has generally received very positive reviews.
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