While it does have a very earthy palate (notice that not a speck of red is to be seen) colors come across as clear and solid. Score: 8 out of 10 Video and Presentation Despite its transfer to Blu-ray, the film looks only marginally better than the pervious two-disc DVD release. While there are several other more popular films out there with a mentally disabled lead character, such as Forrest Gump or Rain Man, not only does Sling Blade stand out, but it deserves just as much praise. The acting is great, the direction fits like a glove, and the writing is inspirational. Nevertheless, this is a wonderful film in every respect. Even so, I felt that because you could see the end coming a mile away, it took away from some of the film's impact. What matters isn't if something happens, but how and why. Now I understand that this isn't meant to be a thriller or a mystery it's okay to "see the end coming" in a drama. Add in the connection he has with the boy and the fact that Doyle is the jerk-of-the-century, and you can pretty much see the ending coming as soon as you meet the characters. Throughout the entire film you get the vibe that while Karl understood how wrong it was for him to kill, he would do it again if he felt that it was right. The only complaint I have is with the inevitability of Karl's final act. His transformation into Karl is just amazing to behold. None more so than Billy Bob in the title role. Not a single actor looks like they are acting, instead they are the people they play. He isn't a completely black-on-the-inside bad-guy, rather, he's a man who has an attitude problem and can't control his temper. And even Doyle, the villain of the picture, is given depth.
John Ritter's character, the timid homosexual Vaughan, is given a lot of depth as you realize that while he does not love Frank's mother "in that way" he still does very much love her as a friend. Frank is a very sweet and innocent boy, you really feel for his torment.
Proelia and sling blade come from the same company movie#
The great thing about the movie is how much you come to understand and care for all of the characters. Since Frank is now the only thing Karl cares about, and given Karl's past, it isn't difficult to guess what comes next. Karl sees this and realizes that if he doesn't do something, Frank's life will become a nightmare. Unfortunately Frank's mother refuses to leave the man. He isn't physically abusive, but his verbal insults and degradations to Frank, his mother, and Karl really make you hate the guy. You quickly come to understand two things: how kind and sweet the boy, his mother, and her friend are, and how much of an ass Doyle is. Frank takes him home to meet his mother Linda (Natalie Camerday), her best friend Vaughan (John Ritter), and her jerk of a boyfriend Doyle (Dwight Yoakam). He goes to town where he meets a young boy named Frank (Lucas Black) whom he eventually befriends. Now that he has freedom, he has no idea what to do with it. After all, he has spent virtually all of his life locked up. However, instead of being happy, the only thing he feels is confusion.
Karl was sentenced to twenty-five years in a mental institution, or "nervous hospital" as he calls it. When he learned that his mother was with the man by choice, he also attacked her. Not far away he saw a scythe, or as he calls it, a "sling blade," which he used to attack the man. Karl's immediate reaction was anger, thinking he was hurting her. When he arrived he saw the previously mentioned man, the one who was bad to him, "with" his mother. One day when Karl's mother didn't bring him his daily meal he decided to venture up to the house himself. One man in particular was very nasty to him. Not only did he have to go without parents who loved him, but with the teasing and tormenting of the local townspeople. He lived there for many years, all alone. When his parents learned that there was something wrong with him they decided to keep him in a shed. No more than five-minutes into the film we come to learn Karl's story. His eyes dart about sporadically, he has trouble communicating in what we would call a "normal" fashion, and his pattern of speech is distinctly Southern, each sentence ending with a gruff "Erm-hmm." In other words, he is a very charming, sweet, and simple man. The title character of the film, Karl Childers (played by Billy Bob Thornton), speaks in a deep, rough grumble. This isn't a story about a murderer who happens to be mentally challenged, rather, it's a story about a mentally challenged man who happens to commit a murder.
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