denzil-09434 I'm not going to go in to detail. This movie is a moving study of the decency and beauty of ordinary people. I can hardly believe that I missed it on release. Billy Bob Thornton has been one of my favourite actors for many years but this performance simply blew me away. He proves himself in the Steve Carrell class of actors who can take on a character to the extent that you can't even tell who he is.One of the best movies ever made.

leonidas03031979 This film had all the potential to be one of the best of all time. But at the end it failed. Why? Because it was predictable. The first half was very emotional and substantial that it almost touched perfection. But after some part it was like you could see what is going to happen. And not only did it happen but it was almost forced by the most unnatural way. The step father was yelling to be killed like it was his intention. And honestly who ever stands so cool and self- possessed in front of his murderer who's moving towards him with a sling blade at his hands? The film itself gave me great expectations which collapsed soon. It could and should be better.

samslaydon Despite Billy Bob Thornton's "Carl" voice being mocked ad nauseum, this IMO is one of the best movies ever made. The originality of the story and the main character are genius. Plot points are backed, not so much by established story lines, but by the richness of the characters from Frank's need for a father figure, Karl's need to be accepted, Doyle's redneck prejudices and Vaughn's identity as a gay man in a small southern town. These are very shallow explanations for the richness of each character, but the story line cannot be beat down to the somewhat tragic but salvational ending. If you haven't seen this movie, it is the best of BB Thornton's directorial efforts and extremely tough to beat for filmmaking.

luke-a-mcgowan Passion projects in Hollywood are very rare, but when you see them done with the skill and tenderness of Sling Blade, it makes you feel good that they're so rare.Billy Bob Thornton is a master filmmaker. It is uncanny how he could be such an effective director whilst also performing the film's most demanding role. It is a testament to how much his cast and crew respected him and trusted the passion he had for his project. His performance as Karl Childers is spectacular. He breaks your heart in every single scene, whether it is him saying thank you for the only time in the film, telling a gay man he doesn't think he'd go to hell, visiting a grave or turning over his only worldly possessions. Its also a testament to Thornton's magnificent screenplay, which is very slow at times but its a slow burn well worth your time.Please watch Sling Blade. It'll break your heart, but you'll love it for it.