| | | A simple man... a difficult choice.|A Simple Man...a Difficult Choice.
Features: DVD
The Miramax Collector's Series proudly presents this two-disc release of the powerful motion picture applauded by critics and moviegoers alike...written, directed and starring Billy Bob Thornton (Bad Santa)!25 years after committing an unthinkable crime, a quiet man named Karl (Thornton) is finally returning home. Once there, he is befriended by a fatherless boy and his mother. But when his newfound peace is shattered by the mother's abusive boyfriend (Grammy winner Dwight Yoakam), Karl is suddenly placed on a collision course with his past! Also featuring Robert Duvall (Open Range), John Ritter (Bad Santa) and J.T. Walsh (Breakdown) -- Sling Blade is an unforgettable movie experience!
"Powerful..." Los Angeles Times
"Riveting!" Rolling Stone
"Two thumbs up!" Siskel & Ebert
"A story that's startling, soulful and absolutely unforgettable." Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle
"Catches you up so firmly in its world that you find yourself accepting whatever Thornton presents right up to its deeply ironic finish." Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
"Resonates like the best of Southern fiction." Marc Caro, Chicago Tribune
"...[Thornton] has created an unforgettable character and situation, a film that's sure to become an American classic." Marjorie Baumgarten, Austin Chronicle
"A remarkably moving and disturbing film about the possibility of belonging and the genealogy of violence." Paul Malcolm, L.A. Weekly
"...a kind of realistic fairy tale, sustained by the sweet gravity and guttural, deadpan minimalism of Thornton's performance." Richard T. Jameson, Mr. Showbiz
"...a masterpiece of Southern storytelling that draws a sharp line between good and evil." Rita Kempley, The Washington Post
Editor's Note
After catching his mother and her boyfriend "in flagrante delicto" and dispatching both of them with a farm implement known as a sling blade, a simpleminded 11-year-old boy is sent to a mental hospital where he spends the next 25 years. Upon his release, the emotionally and mentally stunted man-child returns to his Arkansas hometown and takes a job in a local garage, only to have the past inexorably repeat itself. An indie-film triumph, adapted by star-writer-director Thornton from his 1993 short, "Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade." Academy Award Nominations: 2, including Best Actor--Billy Bob Thornton. Academy Awards: Best Adapted Screenplay.
Plot Summary
Small-town simpleton Karl Childers has spent most of his life in a mental institution, after he killed his mother and her lover with the eponymous weapon at age 12. Now middle-aged, Karl is deemed healthy -- and released into a world he hasn't inhabited since he was a pre-teen. Although many of Karl's experiences in the "real world" are very troubling, they give him valuable insight into human nature... and himself. But can he completely escape his tragic past?| Academy Award Nominations: 2, including Best Actor--Billy Bob Thornton. Academy Awards: Best Adapted Screenplay.
| Features | Director Commentary | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: Spanish |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Buena Vista |
| Release Date: 9/1/2006 |
| Running Time: 157 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1996 | | Catalog ID: 3500403 | | UPC: 00786936239096 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Oscar (1997) |  | Billy Bob Thornton, Winner, Best Writing, Screenplay Based On Material From Another Medium | | | Billy Bob Thornton, Nominee, Best Actor | |
Screen Actors Guild (1997) | | | Billy Bob Thornton, Nominee, Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role | |
Oscar (1997) | | | Billy Bob Thornton, Nominee, Best Actor in a Leading Role | |
Independent Spirit (1997) | | Billy Bob Thornton, et. al., Winner, Best First Feature | |
Screen Actors Guild (1997) | | | Billy Bob Thornton, et. al., Nominee, Outstanding Performance by a Cast |
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| | Professional Reviews | Sight and Sound
"...This is a film that wants us to be alert and it repays our attention handsomely..." 07/??/1998 p.53Rolling Stone
"...Riveting....SLING BLADE boasts a stupendous performance from Billy Bob Thornton..." 12/12/1996 p.90 Entertainment Weekly
"...A beautiful contraption of a movie....[SLING BLADE] haunts us..." -- Rating: A- 12/06/1996 p.48 Variety
"...Marked by some powerful scenes, fine performances and colorful dialogue....Yoakam is excellent..." 09/09/1996 Los Angeles Times
"...A mesmerizing parable of good and evil and a splendid example of Southern storytelling at its most poetic and imaginative..." 11/27/1996 p.F6 Chicago Sun-Times
"...The movie is a work of great originality and fascination....[The] characters are brought to life with a vivid strength..." 11/27/1996 p.49 Chicago Sun-Times 9 of 10
``Sling Blade'' begins with a remarkable monologue delivered straight to the camera. A man with a raspy voice, an overshot jaw and a lot of pain in his eyes says he reckons we might like to hear about his story, and so he tells it. His name is Karl Childers, he is retarded, and he has been in a state facility since childhood, when he found his mother with her lover and killed them both. But now, he says, ``I reckon I got no reason to kill no one. Uh, huh.'' Karl is talking to a reporter about his release from the institution. They reckon he has been cured. They are probably right. He is not a killer, would not kill without good and proper reason, and now understands how, as a child, he misinterpreted the situation. As he talks, we are struck by his forceful presence; he is retarded, yes, but he is complex and observant, and has spent a lot of time thinking about what he should and shouldn't do...If ``Forrest Gump'' had been written by William Faulkner, the result might have been something like ``Sling Blade.'' The movie is a work of great originality and fascination by Billy Bob Thornton, who wrote it, directed it and plays Karl Childers. He says that the character ``came to him'' one morning while he was shaving, and he started talking to himself in the mirror, in Karl's voice...The movie's ultimate destination is not hard to guess, but we feel a certain satisfaction when it arrives there. And by then we have come to know Karl with a real understanding and fondness. He is a character unlike any other in the movies, an original, and in creating him, Thornton has made a place for himself among the best new filmmakers. As an actor, he creates a difficult character and finds exactly the right way to play him. - Roger Ebert
ReelViews 8 of 10
Sling Blade, the directorial debut of actor/writer Billy Bob Thornton (who scripted One False Move and A Family Thing), is a fascinating examination of a damaged man's quest to make restitution for his past crimes. To a lesser extent, it also offers an atypical vision of the concept of "family" in modern society. Thornton has developed Sling Blade as a slowly-paced character study. Nearly every scene is designed to reveal something about one of characters rather than advance the minimalist story. The narrative is little more than a flimsy envelope -- it's the men and women who are sealed within that make Sling Blade worth watching...While Thornton's performance is obviously the standout, there are a number of noteworthy turns by supporting actors. Lucas Black and Natalie Canderday are both believable, and John Ritter is surprisingly effective playing against type as an effeminate homosexual. Dwight Yoakam goes a little over-the-top as the despicable Doyle, but that's the nature of the character. Sling Blade also features cameos by some impressive names: Robert Duvall (Karl's father), J.T. Walsh (a fellow inmate at the hospital), and Jim Jarmusch (an ice cream salesman)...Sling Blade runs for a little longer than it needs to, and there are a few scenes that border on being too cute (such as one where Karl's "date" from the previous evening gives him flowers), but, in general, it's a fine motion picture. Karl is sufficiently interesting to hold our attention for more than two hours, and, if the resolution of his dilemma is obvious, watching him arrive at it makes Sling Blade worthwhile. Billy Bob Thornton has done some interesting things with this film; his next project should be worth the wait. - James Berardinelli
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