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Movies / On DVD / Sling Blade
Sling Blade

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Sling Blade (1996)

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Reviews Counted:47

Fresh:45

Rotten:2

Average Rating:8.3/10

Consensus: You will see what's coming, but the masterful performances, especially Thornton's, will leave you riveted.

Runtime: 2 hrs 37 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: 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... 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. [More]

Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Lucas Black, Dwight Yoakam, John Ritter

Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Lucas Black, Dwight Yoakam, John Ritter, Natalie Canerday, Robert Duvall, Jim Jarmusch

Director: Billy Bob Thornton

Director: Billy Bob Thornton
Screenwriter: Billy Bob Thornton
Composer: Daniel Lanois
Producer: David L. Bushell, Brandon Rosser

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Jan 6, 1998

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • Sling Blade
  • Now see for yourself -- the powerful motion picture applauded by critics and moviegoers alike, written, directed, and starring Billy Bob Thornton. Twenty five 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, John Ritter, and J.T. Walsh, SLING BLADE is an unforgettable movie experience.
  • Source: Buena Vista Home Entertainment.
  •  
     
     
     

    Reviews for Sling Blade

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    1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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    Well acted, a multi-leveled story and a pure honesty make Sling Blade one of my favourite films of the 1990s.

    Full Review Source: Movie Views | comment Comment
    08/28/09
    Ryan Cracknell
    Ryan Cracknell
    Movie Views

    Thornton brings three key ingredients to the table: distinctive, rich, authentic Southern locations, patient and painterly atmosphere, and a precise and fresh character to study. [Blu-ray]

    Full Review Source: Groucho Reviews | comment Comment
    08/12/09
    Peter Canavese
    Peter Canavese
    Groucho Reviews

    Thornton offers a subtle, thoughtful script, generally sensitive direction, and an understated performance, uh-huh.

    Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
    08/01/09
    James Plath
    James Plath
    DVDTown.com

    Excellent character study of a mentally challenged person.

    Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
    07/23/09
    Dennis Schwartz
    Dennis Schwartz
    Ozus' World Movie Reviews
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
    07/23/08
    Todd McCarthy
    Todd McCarthy
    Variety
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
    06/24/06
    Derek Adams
    Derek Adams
    Time Out
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
    05/26/06
    Jeffrey M. Anderson
    Jeffrey M. Anderson
    Combustible Celluloid

    The film's many rewards cannot be described in conventional terms.

    Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
    09/17/05
    Michael Dequina
    Michael Dequina
    TheMovieReport.com

    There will never be another film like Sling Blade. And I reckon we’ll have to live with that... Mmm-mmm.

    Full Review Source: 7M Pictures | comment Comment
    09/07/05
    Kevin Carr
    Kevin Carr
    7M Pictures

    These days Thornton is seen primarily as an actor, but with “Sling Blade” he proved a true auteur.

    Full Review Source: Reno Gazette-Journal | comment Comment
    07/15/05
    Forrest Hartman
    Forrest Hartman
    Reno Gazette-Journal

    A deep and thoughtful masterpiece - now on director's cut dvd!

    Full Review Source: Blunt Review | comment Comment
    06/16/05
    Emily Blunt
    Emily Blunt
    Blunt Review

    ...a moving, poignant, humorous, chilling, and melancholic motion picture, with a bravura turn from its writer/director/star.

    Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
    06/03/05
    John J. Puccio
    John J. Puccio
    DVDTown.com
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
    04/09/05
    Robin Clifford
    Robin Clifford
    Reeling Reviews

    Sling Blade derives its power from Thornton's affecting characterization of Karl Childers.

    Full Review Source: Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY) | comment Comment
    07/01/04
    Judith Egerton
    Judith Egerton
    Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
    05/14/03
    Jeanne Aufmuth
    Jeanne Aufmuth
    Palo Alto Weekly

    Thornton makes his breakthrough

    Full Review Source: ToxicUniverse.com | comment Comment
    02/28/03
    John A. Nesbit
    John A. Nesbit
    ToxicUniverse.com
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
    11/06/02
    Jeff Strickler
    Jeff Strickler
    Minneapolis Star Tribune
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    There is almost nothing slipshod about the film and I suspect that it will only seem more impressive the further we get from the flurry of hype ...

    Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | comment Comment
    11/01/02
    Philip Martin
    Philip Martin
    Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Cincinnati Enquirer | comment Comment
    10/15/02
    Margaret A. McGurk
    Margaret A. McGurk
    Cincinnati Enquirer

    This riveting character-driven drama is a cautionary tale about the ways in which violence desecrates all life.

    Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
    08/31/02
    Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
    Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
    Spirituality and Practice
     
     
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