a 1996 American drama film written and directed by Billy Bob Thornton, who also stars in the lead role

Sling Blade is a 1996 American drama film written and directed by Billy Bob Thornton, who also stars in the lead role.

rural drama

A rural drama about a mentally handicapped killer attempting to reintegrate back into the fabric of a small town, Sling Blade features a superlative Billy Bob Thornton performance and an unsettling mood of surface normalcy building to a quiet boil.

an original, insightful, extraordinarily haunting and poignant drama that contains an emotional punch that resonates long after the final credits roll

While deliverance seems to chart vaguely familiar territory, Sling Blade is an original, insightful, extraordinarily haunting and poignant drama that contains an emotional punch that resonates long after the final credits roll.

a sweet, funny, and slow-burning Southern drama with a big heart (unlike 'Forrest Gump') that proved Thornton a great director and performer

David J (au) wrote: Billy Bob Thornton's big-screen directorial debut, 'Sling Blade,' is a sweet, funny, and slow-burning Southern drama with a big heart (unlike 'Forrest Gump') that proved Thornton a great director and performer.

a powerful southern gothic parable about good and evil

Marking Billy Bob Thornton's debut as a director and solo writer, Sling Blade is a powerful southern gothic parable about good and evil.

slow but thought-provoking film by actor-director-writer Billy Bob Thornton

Sling Blade' is slow but thought-provoking film by actor-director-writer Billy Bob Thornton.

a short film with unusual subject matter

a Sling Blade is a short film with unusual subject matter.

a masterpiece of indie filmmaking and proof that story and performance are more important than cinematic flash

Sling Blade (1996) is a masterpiece of indie filmmaking and proof that story and performance are more important than cinematic flash.

a fascinating examination of a damaged man's quest to make restitution for actor/writer Billy Bob Thornton's past crimes

Sling Blade, the directorial debut of actor/writer Billy Bob Thornton (who scripted One False Move and A Family Thing), is a fascinating examination of a damaged man's quest to make restitution for actor/writer Billy Bob Thornton's past crimes.

a study in tension with thick suspense built through superior character development resulting in conflicts that escalate into deliberate, almost real-time rhythms

Sling Blade is a study in tension with thick suspense built through superior character development resulting in conflicts that escalate into deliberate, almost real-time rhythms.

Billy Bob Thornton's big-screen directorial debut''

David J (au) wrote: Billy Bob Thornton's big-screen directorial debut, 'Sling Blade,' is a sweet, funny, and slow-burning Southern drama with a big heart (unlike 'Forrest Gump') that proved Thornton a great director and performer.

a short film written by Billy Bob Thornton, directed by George Hickenlooper and starring Thornton, Molly Ringwald, and J. T. Walsh

a Sling Blade is a short film written by Billy Bob Thornton, directed by George Hickenlooper and starring Thornton, Molly Ringwald, and J. T. Walsh.