 Director's Cut For the first time, Miramax proudly presents this riveting motion picture in the phenomenal intensity of Blu-ray Hi-Def. Applauded by critics and moviegoers alike, this award-winning masterpiece written, directed by and starring Billy Bob Thornton (Monster's Ball) achieves new heights of greatness as Thornton's vision is now fully realized in high definition. 25 years after committing an unthinkable crime, a quiet man named Karl (Thornton) finally returns home. Once there, he's 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 starring Robert Duvall, John Ritter and J.T. Walsh, this emotional powerhouse is an unforgettable experience for the eyes and ears as well as the heart. Feel the stirring power of Sling Blade as never before in Blu-ray High Definition. Storyline: A partially handicapped man named Karl is released from a mental hospital, about 20 years after murdering his mother and another person. Karl is often questioned if he will ever kill again, and he shrugs in response saying there is no reason to. Now out of the mental institution, Karl settles in his old, small hometown, occupying himself by fixing motors. After meeting a young boy named Frank, who befriends him, Karl is invited to stay at Frank's house with his mother Linda, who views Karl as a strange but kind and generous man. However, Linda's abusive boyfriend, Doyle, sees things differently in the way rules ought to be run- normally insulting Linda's homosexual friend Vaughan as well as Karl's disabilities, and having wild parties with his friends. As Karl's relationship with Frank grows, he is watchful of Doyle's cruel actions. Written by commanderblue Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman on August 1, 2009 -- You will be happy. Sling Blade has become something of a cinematic enigma. The film is clearly best known for Karl Childers the bumbling, unintentional humorist rather than Karl Childers the gentle hearted and understanding soul, the film unfortunately remembered for one liners rather than its simplistically linear yet deeply-rooted and incredibly complex outlook on life and the human spirit. The film isn't about "french fried potaters" or whether or not the tool is known as a "sling blade" or a "kaiser blade." Such quips -- and their admittedly outstanding and wholly convincing delivery -- are but a drop in the ocean of the film's true meaning and purpose. Not a film meant to entertain but rather to enlighten viewers on the true meaning of love and sacrifice, the very essence of Sling Blade may be encompassed in four words: "you will be happy." Karl Childers, though externally nothing but a "humped-over retard" in the words of antagonist Doyle Hargraves, is instead not only a gentle soul with a peculiarly simple and absolute outlook on life, but also something of a Christ-like figure, a theme that remains with the film -- but subtly changes in meaning -- from beginning to end. Though his view of the world is far more narrow than that of Christ's and God's -- and certainly not as far-reaching vis-a-vis the salvation of one versus the salvation of all -- Karl has nevertheless come to understand the world at its most fundamental level. Though no man -- and certainly himself included -- is externally perfect, he recognizes the absolute good and absolute evil that exists within every soul he encounters. He sees the torment through which evil attempts to supersede good in a world that often seems blinded by wealth, stature, and smooth-talking and far too often openly accepts evil for the fear of earnestly combating it. Karl does not fall prey to the serpent's wiles, seeing past the façade and sacrificing his place in the world -- a world he comes to describe as "too big" -- for the good of another. They turned me loose from the nervous hospital, said I was well. The mild-mannered Karl Childers (Billy Bob Thornton, The Informers) is set to be released from the state psychiatric hospital where he's lived since he killed his mother and her underage boyfriend while still an adolescent. Before his release, Karl recounts his tale to a journalism student, speaking of the murders and his life inside a small shed where a dug-out hole and a few quilts kept him comfortable enough in between his Bible lessons and biscuits-and-mustard meals. Once on the outside, Karl returns to his hometown, a world that's changed drastically since he last encountered it. Karl soon meets a young boy named Frank Wheatley (Lucas Black, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift) outside a laundromat. He offers to help the young boy tote home his heavy bags of washing, the two striking an instant friendship. Despite the glimmer of hope in Karl's world, he seeks solace at the hospital, where its friendly and understanding director Jerry Woolridge (James Hampton) agrees to take Karl in for the night at his own home and promises him an interview for employment at a small repair shop in town. The shop's affable owner, Bill Cox (Rick Dial), opens his store and his heart to Karl, providing him the opportunity for an honest day's work, a steady wage, and even the shop's back room where Karl is allowed to sleep on an old army cot. Karl continues his relationship with Frank; he meets his mother Linda (Natalie Canerday) and her boss Vaughn (John Ritter, Bad Santa) but also comes to know Linda's abusive, arrogant, and hateful boyfriend, Doyle Hargraves (Country music star Dwight Yoakam, Crank 2: High Voltage). As Doyle's obscene and hurtful behavior increases alongside his disdain for Vaughn, Karl, and Frank, Karl must choose his destiny in an effort to make his new friend's life full, happy, and free of unwarranted abuse. I don't reckon I got no reason to kill nobody. As alluded to earlier, Sling Blade seems a film that's perhaps not overlooked, but perhaps somewhat misunderstood. There's absolutely no denying the film's stellar performances (more on those later), but what it offers behind the performances -- an amazing spiritual journey into the heart of a man that knows only absolute right and absolute wrong -- makes for one of cinema's most compelling thematic offerings of all time. Sling Blade is a film about self-worth in both the context of how one presents themselves to the world and how a world reacts to that presentation. Despite Karl's dark history, funny way of speech, and odd physical mannerisms, he's as pure as newly-fallen snow on the inside, his morality straight as an arrow even if his limited mental acumen doesn't always allow for him to either fully comprehend the meaning or completely grasp the consequences of his actions, particularly those that marked his youth. Karl's life is defined by three distinct stages. As a boy, he was severely mistreated because of his mental and physical deficiencies. He was the object of ridicule by his peers and scorned by a family that forced him to live in a shed without much in the way of comfort or nutrition, coming as close to discarded as a human may be. After the murders, Karl entered into a stage of discovery while in the hospital where he kept and read several books, among them a trio that spells out the film's religious overtones: a book on Christmas, a book on carpentry, and the Bible. Though he admits to not fully understanding the Bible and recalls his surprise at several of its unidentified passages, it shapes his understanding of what is right and what is wrong, setting in place the film's moral quandary for his third stage, the summation and implementation of his life's lessons. Karl analyzes the world around him in a way only a man not completely corrupted by it could. He uses the tools in his arsenal -- Scripture and his own moral compass that's shaped by the wrongs done him, the wrongs he's done to others, and the love shown to him by those he meets upon his release from prison -- to formulate a course of action that will allow him to return the love shown him and follow in the example as set forth in his Bible as best he can. I love you, boy. Indeed, Sling Blade is a film about love. The bond Karl develops with Frank is one that absolutely defines love; it is played out through the course of the film with a pure and genuine countenance through both the scripted dialogue and the performances of the actors that makes it perhaps the most heartwarming and sincere relationship ever to grace the screen. It defines love in a way that film, and in many ways the world that exists outside of it, seems to have forgotten. The film's take on love, much like its take on sacrifice (the two seemingly interchangeable in definition), seems straight out of Scripture, the famed 1 Corinthians 13 passage to be exact. Karl's love for Frank, and Frank's love for Karl, captures the very essence of the description afforded to the word in the Bible where it is said to be patient and kind. It is said not to be envious, boastful, or proud. Love is not rude, self-seeking, or easily angered, the Bible says. It keeps no records of wrongs and does not delight in evil but instead rejoices in truth. It protects, trusts, hopes, preserves and, most importantly, it never fails. The dichotomy between Karl's love and Doyle's love for the Wheatley's couldn't be more disparate insofar as how they stem from Scripture's take on love. Karl's love is defined by the Scriptural take on the word, while Doyle's never once may be equated with anything but the antonyms of each definition as laid forth in the Bible. Whether or not Karl's solution to the dilemma at the end of the film is right or wrong to the world, Karl believes it to be correct based on the sum of his experiences that have come to be defined by two disparate periods in his life where he's experienced both the agony of absolute hate and the joys of pure love. What if he does it again? Finally, Sling Blade is a technical achievement the likes of which cinema rarely sees. As its writer, director, and star, Billy Bob Thornton's influence may be seen in every single second of the film. Sling Blade not only tells a wonderfully deep and meaningful story but also frames it in a lens that smartly allows the script and the actor's performances to sell the story. Few films offer such unobtrusive direction as Sling Blade; the minimalist approach greatly benefits the feel of the film. Often the camera simply lingers, allowing the action to play out almost as if on stage. Its movements are subtle and its cuts few and not at all intrusive. The writing befits the tone of the film, its relaxed Southern setting, and its slightly eccentric but generally down-to-earth and genuine characters, each memorable for their own reasons, particularly thanks to the honest and perfect performances from the actors. Of course, Billy Bob Thornton positively mesmerizes as Karl Childers. Immersing himself in the part so thoroughly and convincingly so as to completely metamorphose himself into an altogether separate being in every facet of existence, the performance demonstrates a level of excellence, commitment, and skill that's virtually impossible to outdo. The other performances seem to thrive off of Thornton's and are all excellent in their own right, even when Thornton's fellow actors, while in-character, seem positively in awe of the actor's ability. Dwight Yoakam excels as Doyle Hargraves, the performance almost matching Thronton's as its tonal antithesis. The foul-mouthed, honest to a nasty fault son-of-a-gun Hargraves is devilishly yet deliciously portrayed, the string of hate never once hidden from view even in his attempts to be more forthright and friendly towards the other characters. Lucas Black, Natalie Canerday, and John Ritter (see his performance near the end of the film for perhaps the finest choking-back-tears and astounded reaction shot ever captured on film) deliver wonderfully complex and nuanced efforts, and the film also enjoys stellar outings from its secondary actors: Bill Dial, J.T. Walsh as Karl's disturbed hospital mate, Robert Duvall as Karl's estranged father, James Hampton, and Brent Briscoe as Karl's co-worker Scooter. Indeed, Karl Childers comes to see the world as "too big" -- or in other words to see himself as "too small" -- to efficiently cope with it, despite his ability to understand it in absolutes and fully comprehend the clearly-delineated line between good and evil. With those two words, Karl nullifies not his Christ-like action of self-sacrifice for the salvation of another but does acknowledge that only Christ Himself is of the appropriate stature to take on the burdens of the world, not for the sake of one but for the sake of all. Sling Blade is a picture that allows viewers to perhaps leave the experience with a newfound appreciation for the many blessings that exist in the world and see the good that is to be found in it behind the shroud of darkness that seeks to obscure it. For the Wheatley's, that shroud was Doyle, and that blessing was Karl, a man of humble and externally confused means that, behind the veil of a man painted as a danger to others and a burden to society, offered an unmatched gentleness, a pure spirit, and a willingness to sacrifice for the good of another, to ease a burden, and deliver true happiness. A marvelous motion picture on every level and one of the most meaningful and complete to ever exist, Sling Blade is an all-time masterpiece that defines cinema at its absolute best. Disney's Blu-ray release of this important and timeless picture is superb. The disc offers a startling 1080p transfer, a lossless soundtrack that captures the film's intended audio presentation precisely, and a plethora of informative and worthwhile bonus features. Sling Blade proudly receives my highest recommendation. Cast Notes: Billy Bob Thornton (Karl Childers), Dwight Yoakam (Doyle Hargraves), J.T. Walsh (Charles Bushman), John Ritter (Vaughan Cunningham), Lucas Black (Frank Wheatley), Natalie Canerday (Linda Wheatley), James Hampton (Jerry Woolridge), Robert Duvall (Karl's Father), Rick Dial (Bill Cox), Brent Briscoe (Scooter Hodges), Christine Renee Ward (Melinda [as Christy Ward]), Sarah Boss (Marsha Dwiggins), Kathy Sue Brown (Theresa Evans), Wendell Rafferty (Melvin), Bruce Hampton (Morris [as Col. Bruce Hampton Ret.]). User Comment: Stephen Johnson (stepjohn@mindspring.com) from USA, 20 April 2003 • As someone who loves good filmmaking, I rate this film among the best I've ever seen in all areas of the craft. Some of the criticisms of this film are hard to fathom. The screenplay has the tight conciseness of a well-honed play (which this essentially was derived from) and doesn't fail to prick at the emotions and the intellect of the viewer. The photography, the casting and the editing all click together quite admirably. However, I always marvel at the negative, emotionalized responses to otherwise superb films such as this by those who seem to miss the entire point of a movie like "Sling Blade". I did not see a political message about abortion, or a justification of murder or even a backhanded putdown of the rural people of Arkansas. (Many of the characters were locals, by the way.) Some viewers are setting themselves up to be against this film since they are wearing their own feelings on their sleeves and fail to see the subtle layers of the story. They are seeing only the reflection of themselves on the surface of the water, rather than the complex world below. Theater and film are rooted in images and characterizations designed to help us explore the human condition. It was once said that Tolstoy's voluminous novel "War and Peace" could be summed up in a single sentence thereby negating the need to write the book. Art is not a fast explanation, but a captivating and thought-provoking trip that hopefully forces us to think about our own motivations. Taking a one-dimensional view of this film might lead one to believe that Karl Childer's central message is that we should all eat biscuits smeared with mustard. "Sling Blade" excels at the job of making us examine the terrible choices life gives us by providing a set of characters who interact in a moving, curious and revealing way. It is not reality nor is it political, but a method by which we can look at our own individual realities. Others who seemed disenchanted with this film out-of-hand are those who found it "slow". Helloooo! This film is SUPPOSED to be slow and agonizingly so. It is carefully walking you to the conclusion, step-by-step, so you can squirm uncomfortably at the overall foreshadowing. It ain't an explosion-a-minute John Woo filmmaking and it certainly isn't light comedy, though it induces a surprising number of smiles. This is a film that makes us look at true evil in the form of J.T. Walsh, Dwight Yoakum and Robert Duval's characters and compare it to the pure goodness of the damaged creature portrayed by Billy Bob Thornton, whose own brutalization leads him to seek justice in his own imperfect way. To help those out who didn't "get" this film, I might recommend that you consider Thornton's character to be an amalgamation of Herman Melville's innocently homicidal protagonist in "Billy Budd" and Mary Shelley's sad monster Frankenstein. These characters, like Thornton's Karl Childers, were dramatic vehicles for the purpose of making us think. They did bad things but we were forced to view them compassionately because they reflected our own conflicting traits. Don't read things into a film that aren't there, but don't ignore the interesting elements that are. Get those wheels upstairs turning and start enjoying intelligent filmmaking instead of merely seeking an excitement fix! Summary: Filmmaking at it's Best. IMDb Rating (07/31/14): 8.1/10 from 62,520 users IMDb Rating (12/03/11): 8.0/10 from 46,047 users
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