Sling Blade

Rating:
Summary: Painfully bad.
Review: Where does one begin in describing this painful movie?

OK. How about the plot? A mentally retarded man is released from a mental hospital where he was sentenced for killing his mother and the man she was having an affair with. This mentally retarded man quickly meets a 10 year old boy who asks his mother if it would be all right for this man, just released from a mental hospital where he was serving time for killing two people, if he can stay in there garage. The mother agrees. Don't you just love the realism that independent movies give us over standard Hollywood fantasy?

Anyhoo, the "plot" continues with mentally retarded man defending this boy and his mother against her abusive boyfriend who, at one point in the movie, becomes the most sympathetic character when he speaks for the audience who has paid good money to watch this tripe by telling the other characters "If you all don't shut up I'm going to go out of my mind." Given all that I have just told you about this plot I'm sure you can easily guess how this movie ends.

But for some reason, back in 1996, critics singled this thing out as the movie to shower with hype and the downright creepy Billy Bob Thornton (remember him? He's the guy who carried a vial of Anjelina Jolie's blood around his neck for a while) became a media darling praised for his performance in this movie which is nothing but a series of sentences punctuated by "uh-hums" enunciated from several octaves lower than a normal human voice.

If you are looking for a compelling drama flee from this one like the plague. If you are looking for a movie that is unintentionally funny (and there are certainly moments in this movie that qualify) you are better off with an Ed Wood film. This one is strictly for rubber neckers.

No stars.

None.

Rating:
Summary: A Poignant Dark Film
Review: I started reading the reviews in the hopes of finding out about the extras on the DVD, but I think only one reviewer mentioned that there are no extras. Remember these reviews are not just of the films, but also of the DVD version.
So the lack of extras is a negative. I would also place Dwight Yoakum's acting in that category (his character is interesting, but his interpretation is weak and wooden). There is also the cringe-inducing line about the small boy living in his own heart, a strange lapse in such an intelligent film.
That being said, this film really sticks with you and easily overcomes the flaws. Thornton completely transforms himself in an astonishing performance. He becomes unrecognizable without putting on or taking off weight, or any other devices-he does it through sheer force of will. Incredible. The boy is engaging and utterly believable.
But my real love for this movie comes from the language. Perhaps you have to come from a rural area to truly appreciate it, but the dialogue is laugh-out-loud funny. I suppose if you're used to getting your laughs from people being humiliated in reality TV you may not appreciate the VERY quiet humor on display here. To me, the lines, and they way they were delivered, made every sentence in this film a gem. I believe I could simply listen to this movie and enjoy it without every seeing a frame.

Rating:
Summary: Sling Blade (1996)
Review: Karl Childers, 12 years old, lived in a shack in the woods with his mother and father. Slow Karl was, but deep inside understood well. One day Karl was sicken by what he saw and he committeed a gruesome murder. That landed him in the state prison for 25 years. Karl was released in the world that he knew no more with no where to go, so he stumbles in town and befriends a family that he's willing to fight for.

I thought that Sling Blade was a terrific movie. Billy Bob Thorton was GREAT! It had humor mixed in with tragedy and chaos. My favorite part was when Karl calls the police after he kills Doyle and says, "I killed Doyle," and right after that, he says, "Doyle says that if I's gonna kill him, then I should send for a hearst." I give the whole movie two thumbs up!

Rating:
Summary: ALL time FAVORITE
Review: Sometimes, my memory isn't what it should be. So, I keep a list of my all time favorite books and movies. SlingBlade is on the top of all movies. I have a pretty good selection of DVD's and VHS tapes, but this one should be worn out. I would venture to say I have watched SlingBlade 15 times. I never tire of it.

Billy Bob Thornton, makes this movie believable. John Ritter makes the movie funny, Dwight Yoakam makes the movie 'dark' and Lucas Black makes the movie unforgettable.

The scenes at the lake are the most memorable. The script, the mood, and the way the scenes were filmed should be studied by film makers everywhere. I cannot name another movie that has touched me in this fashion.

If you haven't seen it, you can't imagine what you are missing!!

Rating:
Summary: Some folks call it a great film...
Review: I prefer to call it just ok. Potential abounds like a basket of firecrackers in this film...Thornton, Duvall, great soundtrack and the supreme sleeper performance of Dwight Yoakam (Who thought he could act?). Yet, with all its ammo, 'Sling Blade' fails to deliver the goods.

The story should tug at the heart strings and in a very few places it does. Karl Childers, a slow-witted man-child of the Lennie variety, is released from the state mental hospital, having served a sentence for a horrible crime, the murder of his mother and her lover. Set free, Karl makes a slow, but steady assimilation into the 'world' again. Gets a job fixing lawn-mowers, takes a liking to 'french-fried tatters' and soon finds a friend. His friend, a young boy living with his mother, suffers the cruel insults of her tyrannical boy-friend, Daryl (Yoakam). Despite their age-difference, the two connect immediately. The boy seems unfazed by Karl's crime and opens up to him like a son. The movie's most touching moments are when two wander off together and share their secrets.

With his new friend pleading his case, Karl soon becomes a part of the boy's crippled family and tensions rise as the step-father, archetypal white-trash loser, senses competition in Karl. The story concludes with Karl having to choose between rehabilitation or saving what is closest to him.

A solid story. Yes, indeed. So what's missing from 'Sling Blade?' An edge. Something that cuts into you, lacerating skin, bone and finally, heart. Something that makes feel deep down. Sling Blade just doesn't go deep enough. For starters, Karl's pathology remains a mystery. Ok, hints of abuse at home and school, sleeping in a ditch, ignored and mocked by all...etc. It should hit you, but it doesn't. Despite being a Thornton-fan, I have to sorrowfully lay the blame on Billy Bob's door-step. He just doesn't convince you. Even with that lurch, clinched jaw and neanderthal grunting, it's still Billy that comes through and not Karl. What goes on in Karl's head? What motivates him? We're not shown. We're supposed to believe that Karl is a simple soul caught in cruel circumstances. A simpleton with an angel's heart who defends the innocent. To the point of murder. The heart ain't so simple as Thornton would have you believe. And I didn't. With the second killing, I was amazed. Is it that easy to cleave somebody's head in two? Even in the defence of one's loved ones? Thornton took the easy way out and chose to idealize, rather than analyze, his handicapped hero.

Believability suffers on other fronts as well. The boy and his mother respond to Karl's past as if he had merely broken a dish and nothing more. No big deal, Karl. You wiped-out your ma, don't bat an eye. Your room's out back.

I don't think so. Fear always comes first and I can't imagine any family being so carefree and accepting to such a troubled stranger.

Sling Blade's saving graces are its accessories. The little side-performances keep the film above water. John Ritter's performance as the gay family friend who serves as the boy's guardian is riveting. As equally naive as Karl, Ritter's Vaughan imagines there's more to Karl than meets the eye. 'I can see you're a thinker,' he tells Karl over a lunch of tatters. Who knows, maybe he's right? With this role, Ritter shows himself to be more than a serial-ex. A talent to be reckoned with.

Yet, it's Yoakam's performance that truly evokes a response. Daryl Hargraves is your typical foul-mouthed loser who blames his mistaken life on everybody around him. Yoakam plays him to a t. In fact, I had no idea it was Yoakam until the credits ran. Malevolently stupid and stupidly malevolent, Yoakam's Daryl is super-real. People like him are everywhere. One of the best scenes of the whole film is when the drunken Daryl decides to 'party' with his 'band.' When the pathetic practice session devolves into a moment of honest self-reflection, Daryl explodes in a way that is both visceral and painfully hilarious at the same time.

Despite its bright spots, 'Sling Blade' fails to draw blood. Maybe I'm too cynical, but it failed to move me. Twice. A watchable film with a touching subject, it never fulfills its promises. Enjoy the supporting roles and Daniel Lanois's excellent soundtrack, but don't expect any blood-letting from this blade, healthy or otherwise.