Kinda over the top there Billy Bob.

An awesome movie. Simple, but I found it to be surprisingly powerful.

Nothing too special, not really that bad either. I've seen Billy Bob in too many movies to not notice this was an act but I give him props for pulling it off, it could've easily been really laughable. Gotta love that Jim Jarmusch cameo. His part was actually bigger than Robert Duvall's now that I think about it.

Nothing about "Sling Blade" seemed to be done half-arsed. Billy Bob Thornton did it all and went all out with his gripping performance. Fulfilling ending to a well told story.

Reckon its one of the finest movies by Billy Bob Thornton. Quite predictable but very realistic and does not get preachy. I reckon the last scene with the kid is one of the most powerful scenes. All right, then.

Not usually my preferred type of movie, but I can't deny how well these characters were developed and portrayed. Made me feel a bit sad. At least that's better than a film which makes you want to stick a fork in your eye.

A fine low-budget character study. Good direction by Thornton, and fine performances by everyone, especially Ritter and Yoakum.

Whilst this one didn't have much action, and it has a slow-moving barebone story, that was as much about the past being retold as the present playing out, it's still excellent. The atmosphere is particularly introspective. It's key is the way that it changes the viewer's perspective of the characters, their actions and surroundings so unseemingly. The morality is ambigious. We're told of Karl's "evils", and we accept he may explode again, but little do we accept that it may be for the good.

Thornton is absolutely terrific in a film that exemplifies a true character study. The rest of the narrative is simple, but it manages to still be to "big" for Karl. Duvall and Ritter shine, but unfortunately the rest of the cast is mediocre. Chastise away, but Lucas Black was very bad.

Maybe I'm getting soft, but I love this film.

It's alright but doesn't break any new territory and seems a bit cynically engineered to tug at critic and award committee heartstrings. This was basically the last big award winning entry into the retarded guy drama genre before they became completely cliche. Billy Bob is good in this and it's not surprising to see why his career went sky high after this.

Thornton's Karl is a striking portrait, difficult to recognize as the same man who, for instance, was once the bullying cardsharp faced down by an unarmed Wyatt Earp in _Tombstone_: "Are you gonna do something, or are you just gonna stand there and bleed?" That man. The makeover is top to bottom. Just to begin with, there's the neo-Medieval bowl haircut and the unchanging costume of gray shirt buttoned up to the neck and blue pants stopping a couple of inches short of the ankle.