First| Previous| Up| Next| Last
Sling Blade (1996)
Front Cover Actor
Dwight Yoakam
Movie Details
Language English
Audience Rating R (Restricted)
Running Time 135 mins
Country USA
Color Color
Plot
Billy Bob Thornton wrote, directed, and starred in this mesmerizing drama with haunting overtones of To Kill a Mockingbird. Thornton plays a mentally retarded man who has spent 20 years in a psychiatric hospital for killing his mother and her lover. Released into the community from which he came, he befriends and protects a lonely boy regularly harassed and abused by his mom's boyfriend (a terrific performance by Dwight Yoakam). The story is ultimately about sacrifice, but Thornton certainly doesn't get twinkly about it. Some of the best material concerns the hero's no-big-deal efforts to integrate into a "normal" life: working, eating fast food, earning admiration for his handyman skills, and attaining a semblance of community among other damaged souls. John Ritter has a great part as a gay shopkeeper who tries to assuage his own loneliness by spilling his guts out to Thornton's uncomprehending character. --Tom Keogh
Personal Details
Seen It Yes
Index 1116
Collection Status In Collection
Links Amazon US
Product Details
Format DVD
Region Region 1
Screen Ratio 1.85:1
717951000118
Release Date 2/4/1998
Subtitles Spanish
Audio Tracks English Dolby Digital 5.1
French Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Nr of Disks/Tapes 1