Sling Blade

There's an interesting story behind Sling Blade. Legendary director Billy Wilder advised Billy Bob Thornton to write a screenplay where he could exploit his less than perfect features. Thornton did just that and earned Oscar nominations for both writing and acting in Sling Blade.

Karl Childers (Thornton) has recently been released from a mental hospital where he has been hospitalized since the age of twelve after murdering his mother and her lover. He becomes friends with Frank Wheatley (Lucas Black) and is mother Linda (Natalie Canerday), but he encounters past demons upon meeting Linda's abusive boyfriend Doyle Hargraves (Dwight Yoakam).

I liked Thornton's work, but I thought the movie itself was a tad boring. It was interesting for the first few couple of minutes, then I lost interest after a while. But that doesn't mean I'm not recommending Sling Blade. It's good but not great.

My Rating: ****