Tanya’s Score: Great*
Rated: 14A
Starring: Billy Bob, Jack Tripper, a country singer
Plot: A simple man (Billy Bob Thornton) is released after spending 30 years in a state mental facility for a violent crime he committed as a child – and is left to his own devices in terms of making a small-town life for himself.
Tanya’s Verdict: Yet another example of powerful and gripping storytelling heavily based on character. Sling Blade is my type of movie – in the sense that the story grows from the on-screen characters and the way they interact with one another. Watching this movie again, more than 20 years later, reminded me that Thornton is so much more than an actor. He is also a brilliant talent where writing and directing are concerned.
The actors play it even-keeled and low-key – but there is tension simmering beneath most scenes. Karl (Thornton) is a heartbreaking portrayal of a beaten-down man coming to terms with his lot in life. And the audience is reminded of this at every turn of the plot.
The dynamic between Karl and Doyle (played brilliantly by country singer Dwight Yoakam); and Karl and Vaughan (the late and great John Ritter proving he was so much more than just a physical comedian) solidify this movie as awesome in my mind.
I won’t lie – it is slow-going and the movie is a long haul (clocking in at over two hours) but this story of compassion and second chances is well worth it.
*Four score descriptions: Sh**; Okay; Good; Great