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.

a 1996 English-language Drama film written and directed by Billy Bob Thornton and produced by Larry Meistrich, David L. Bushell and Brandon Rosser under the banner of TSG Pictures

Sling Blade is a 1996 English-language Drama film written and directed by Billy Bob Thornton and produced by Larry Meistrich, David L. Bushell and Brandon Rosser under the banner of TSG Pictures.

Southern gothic

Sling Blade plays out like a Southern gothic tale in the tradition of Flannery O'Connor and William Faulkner, with a wonderful crop of supporting characters who seem eccentric and utterly believable at the same time.

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 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.

like a Southern gothic tale in the tradition of Flannery O'Connor and with a wonderful crop of supporting characters who seem eccentric and utterly believable at the same time

Sling Blade plays out like a Southern gothic tale in the tradition of Flannery O'Connor and William Faulkner, with a wonderful crop of supporting characters who seem eccentric and utterly believable at the same time.

like a Southern gothic tale in the tradition of Flannery O'Connor and William Faulkner

Sling Blade plays out like a Southern gothic tale in the tradition of Flannery O'Connor and William Faulkner, with a wonderful crop of supporting characters who seem eccentric and utterly believable at the same time.