Sling Blade

Sling Blade – 1994, Billy Bob Thornton

Forest Gump is a film about a cute ‘disabled’ man. It’s a happy film, and the protagonist is a happy guy who makes all those around him happy. And it won Forest an Oscar, probably for that bit at the end where he cries over his mothers grave.

Sling Blade is a film about a cute ‘disabled’ man. But he’s not really disabled or retarded, he’s just incredibly socially maladjusted having spent his whole adult life in a psychiatric hospital for murdering two people. This bit is explained quite well at the very beginning.

So Lead Actor-writer-director Billy Bob is judged to be safe to be released from the ward and into society. Luckily the hospital is just a short bus ride away from the small town where he grew up. B-Bob wanders around looking a bit too much like a comedy mong, talking to good honest southern folk, even befriending some of them. After a shaky start for old Bill, it looks like things might just turn out alright...but, he killed two people, remember?

The good thing about Sling Blade is the feeling of unease hanging over the whole story. To describe it as predictable is unfair as the audience is clearly meant to know what’s coming. We know more about Billy Bob’s past than any of the other characters, so we know what’s going to happen. The only question is, just how horrific will it be?

Sling Blade reminded me a bit of Precious. There’s a heavy sense of foreboding throughout, but there are some light-hearted and genuinely funny moments that aren’t at all out of place. This is the best film I’ve watched in a while.