The following article contains spoilers for Sling Blade.Before his excellent rolesin Taylor Sheridan’sLandman,Fargo, andGoliath,Billy Bob Thorntonprimarily focused on feature films. Sure, his role in the sitcomHearts Afirewas decent, but the actor was set on becoming a movie star. He ultimately followed the advice he got from Hollywood legend Billy Wilder when he met him during a waiter’s gig: “You’re too ugly to be a leading man, and you’re too pretty to be a character actor. You write your own stories, you create your own characters.” Years later, Thornton wrote, directed, and starred in the modern masterpieceSling Blade.
But before the amateur writer made the feature, he introduced Karl Childers in a short film he wrote and starred in.Some Folks Call It a Sling Bladeis the 29-minute journey of a reporter who gets the chance to interview Childers, a man who has been in a mental institution for 25 years. Karl committed murder when he was just a boy, and is now being released because he no longer poses a threat to society.
Later, Thornton turned the short into the 1996 feature that would earn him an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. He also directed and starred in the film (Thornton was also nominated for Best Actor). Thornton reprised the role of Karl, the rehabilitated man with a developmental disability.However,Sling Bladewasn’t just the story of Karl, the criminal set for release. It was a gripping story about Karl facing kindness for the first time, and a quick glimpse into a world that may not be as dark as the one he knew.
Boasting a 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes, and arguably representing Thornton’s greatest work to date,Sling Bladeis an excellent revenge thriller you may have missed — a masterpiece forgotten due to clunky distribution and the lack of support for independent films. This is one backwoods noir that you might want to seek out as soon as you can.
Billy Bob Thornton’s ‘Sling Blade’ Is Haunting and Powerful Storytelling
Karl Childers was put in a mental institution after he brutally killed his mother and her lover when he was just a boy. 25 years later, authorities have deemed him fit to enter society again. The man with a raspy voice, an endless love for French fries with mustard, and a unique set of physical mannerisms returns to his hometown. Several people are convinced that he’s no longer a threat, and Karl officially reenters society.He’s still seen as a grown man with a developmental disability, but he’s no longer the monstrous killer everyone believed he was.
That’s when he meets Frank Wheatley, a 12-year-old living with his mother, Linda, and his abusive stepfather, Doyle. Linda and Frank’s closest ally is Vaughan, a store manager who does his best to care for them. However, Doyle is amonstrous and violent bullywho always convinces Linda to let him return. They are all the victims of his abusive behavior, and when Karl and Frank bond, the recently released man also becomes a target of Doyle’s escalating violent behavior.
Billy Bob Thornton’s Most Underrated Movies, Ranked
Flair for harmonizing vocally aside, Billy Bob Thornton has been in some great movies and is seemingly serially underrated.
SlingBlade’s story is one of hope. It’s Karl’s journey of discovering that the world beyond the institution might not be as cruel as the one he knew, the one where his father forced him to sleep in a shed. Karl gets a job, makes friends, and even gets flowers from a woman who likes him. However, this new world still holds darkness.And that darkness is Doyle.
Karl goes through a descent that feels as inevitable as his connection with Frank — a boy who doesn’t mock him and says he “likes the way he talks.” Karl is inevitably drawn into a plot that prompts him to react, but not irrationally. While some may determine his actions as “expected” because of what he did before,Karl’s decision to act against Doyle is deliberate and far from impulsive. Karl’s moral compass is tilted by the unconditional fatherly love he feels for the boy. Regardless of the consequence, Karl understands that his mission in life involves honoring the love he found in the modern world that welcomed him back.
With a budget of $1 million,Sling Bladeisn’t a fancy drama. It’s a bleak and gritty exercise in complex morals, masterfully directed by Thornton, who relies on the powerful realism of its setting. All the characters are well-crafted to faithfully display this rural part of society. Although an uplifting country score accompanies the viewer towards the conclusion, Thornton shifts to a distorted guitar riff that reflects Karl’s conflict and evokes his primal instincts in the film’s final act.
Why Isn’t ‘Sling Blade’ Streaming?
Sling Bladeis unfortunately not available to stream anywhere. It’s a similar situation to that of many obscure independent films, which don’t often get licensed for streaming on major platforms like Netflix, Hulu, or HBO Max.
Currently, the thriller is also not available for digital rent or purchase, meaning that physical media collectors who are fortunate enough to have a DVD copy of the film are among the few who can currently watch it. Next time you’re at a garage sale or a thrift store, keep your eye out forSling Blade, one of the most underrated revenge thrillers of the ’90s, and arguablyBilly Bob Thornton’s best work.
