*A Person* and just think, that boy Frank grew up to Drive fast race cars, play baseball with Jackie Robinson and then work with the New Orleans NCIS .
My son is same way. This world is just to evil for them. My son told me he wished we all lived like the show Andy Griffith. He listens to frank sintra since he was 10. He is 18 and that’s the music and shows he watches. He can’t handle the violence , nudity , or cussing in today’s music and tv. He is truly special.
I got to meet Billy Bob Thornton when I was doing a concert for a little 12 year old boy, who was a burn victim. This was a few years after he had made Sling Blade. He was walking around with another guy at the other nearby events and he asked me what the benefit was for, and at that time, I actually didn't recognize him, because he was wearing a baseball cap and he was with another guy. I suddenly recognized him, shook his hand and told him how much I admired his role in Sling Blade, as well as a couple of other movies. I told him the concert was for this little boy, who was burned over 90% of his body, along with his father at approximately 50% in a traggic accident. We had already done several concerts and this was the last one that I had scheduled. He said he would be back in about thirty minutes with a check, which he did. I won't disclose the amount of money, but it was a sizeable amount. I always appreciated that gesture. I don't particularly agree with him on some things, but there are a lot of Hollywood types that wouldn't lift a finger to help anyone, unless they got some notoriety out of it.
Just goes to show you everyone has good intentions inside of them, even the worst human beings can find something humble within themselves. Might be when they're laying on their deathbed or while they're still walking but there's a light in all of us
A lot of people are like that. The Bible says to give in secret in order to have a Heavenly reward. If you give for the glory on Earth, you’ve already received your reward
They made this movie in 24 days. That is mind blowing. An amazing story, a handful of amazing actors, zero special effects and 1 month and you have a classic.
yea no thats totally believable, is it good yeah sure but its a indie movie that feels like it was made in a month, no special effects cause they couldn't afford any so just cut away.
@@TampaJohn Billy Bob Thornton did an interview with the actors studio and said he didn't use prosthetics to get Carl's look. He just deformed his face and his face hurt everyday after shooting.
I couldn't agree more. I grew up in a small town, maybe a decade or so before that time period. The whole movie has an air of familiarity to it, right down to the characters. The portrayal of the lives around stories like these is spot on.
UPDATE: Sadly "that boy" never gets over losing his big buddy Karl and grows up to be a rather rebellious teen. After he and his mother are forced to move several times due to his shenanigans, he gets in serious trouble with the law. Last anyone heard of him he was drifting cars in Tokyo.
That scene where he's watching the house gives me chills. Very eerie. He did what he felt he had to do to save Franklin and his mom. This movie doesn't get nearly enough recognition.
I'm from Pennsylvania and lived down South for many years. I remember watching this with a group of friends at one of our regular "Movie Night" gatherings and I noted that the movie struck a chord with Southerners in particular. I was told "Each and every one of us here has a Frank, a Karl, a Vaughan or a Doyle somewhere in their life."
Gary Anderson : Billy Bob may be the most incredibly talented actor I’ve ever seen ! Sling Blade was just incredible mind-boggling acting , and also a simple plan that he played in with Bill Paxton another one that is among the greatest films ever produced you ought to watch that one if you have not , all’s I can say is Billy is incredible💝💝💝
The way Carl looks at Vaughn as he's asking him to be a father to the boy is so piercing and deep, you can tell this is very serious business for Carl and he is exacting an oath from Vaughn...a truly fantastic movie.
Its also the only time in the movie that he makes more than glancing eye contact with anyone. He holds it for a long time and we finally get to look into his eyes ourselves. It makes the impact much larger.
I love how this is pretty much the only scene in the movie where Carl makes eye contact. It goes to show that he wasn't as out of touch as everyone perceived him to be.
I love the small detail of how Karl winced when he looked down and saw what he had done to Doyle. He didn’t want to do it, and he’s not a psychopath. He just wanted to take care of Frank and his mom, so he did it the only way he knew how
"He lives inside his own heart, that's an awful big place to live in." Probably the most underrated and pure line in cinema history. What a gem of a movie.
The most powerful part of this scene is how he casually eats a biscuit with mustard as he waits for the authorities to show up… no panic or anxiety, just resolute peace after doing what he believed had to be done. I get a chill up my spine every time I watch it.🥶
I think he ate that meal calmly because he had been planning Doyle's murder for weeks and replayed it in his head hundreds of times --- so when it happened it went exactly how he thought it would and that allowed him to peacefully eat his last delicious meal before his life sentence in prison or the "nervous hospital"
He shouldnt have had any panic or anxiety. He was resolute in his decision. He knew what he planned to do and it wasnt an emotional spur of the moment choice. He was doing right by his friend and saving a good boy from a life of hurt and abuse. He had no reason to be panicked, as far as he could see he wasnt doing anything wrong
I was practially in tears when he was talking to Vaughn. And this is by FAR my favorite idea, on how to deal with Doyle. The most grotesque scene to me was when Karl tried to talk to his father. Talk about evil, Robert Duvall nails it. I can only watch the whole movie once every few years, but it is epic every time.
I have yet to see Robert Duvall be anything but fantastic in any role he has ever played. He even appeared in one of the hour-long "The Twilight Zone" episodes.
Carl had an intensity of presence that was quite palpable. This was very evident when he looked directly at people. You can almost see Vaughn wither in his gaze. Despite his limited mental capacity, Carl saw the world quite clearly and cleanly. It actually made life very simple for him and he had accepted things as they were. There was no victimhood in his relationship with circumstance. Thornton did an amazing job in his portrayal of this character.
Doyle was probably too drunk to piece everything together, mentally speaking. Only when he saw Karl raise the Kaiser Blade, did he realize that Karl meant business! Doyle couldn't move...he was terror-stricken, realizing in that last moment of his life, that he truly was meeting his own death!
In the immortal words of Norm Macdonald: the worst part about Bill Cosby was he was a hypocrite. No I think the raping (switch to murderer) part was worse
One of my favorite movies ever. Phenomenal acting, especially by Billy Bob. So original. No film before or after can capture the imagination like this. And the building intensity to this inevitable scene is spectacular.
This has always been my second favorite scene in this movie. The first one is when five men were trying to figure out what was wrong with a lawn mower and Carl comes up, looks it over, and says "there ain't no gas in it!"
I worked as a paramedic in the Midwest. Every guy on our shift looovvved Slingblade. If time allowed, we watched Slingblade every night. 3-4 times a weekend. Yes, there were a lot of "Karl-isms". You couldn't stop for fuel after a call without "it ain't got no gas". But the main reason is because it was such a fantastic film. One of the best movies of all time.
I live in the Midwest as well and my friends and I still to this day quote and imitate this movie as well. We used to love going to fast food places and ordering like him! Must be a Midwest thing huh?
"Yes ma’am he’s dead, the second wack plumb near split his head in two. When you come can you have the police bring some biscuits and mustard…Hmmm." LOL 😂
Omg me too im sick of sequels and tbh super hero movies the first few were awesome but now their on third remake!!! I miss movies were the actors actually have to act and there is not 2 hours of computer generated effects. That's why I really love independent films they usually are very good.but this is my opinion ,im sure alot will disagree with me
Karl lived inside his heart when he was young. The world was cruel to him. He meets Frank and his family and realizes that if he doesn't do something, Frank will end up in a situation that puts him away. Karl saves Frank from a life of despair
Dwight Yoakum gives an equally compelling performance as well. I dreaded every scene he is in and I just wanted to scream every time he shows up. That is the sign of some great acting. I couldn’t even listen to his music for months afterwards.
Billy Bob's performance was sublime.... How he didn't get the Oscar astounds me... Only other time I've seen such powerful performances were several roles by Daniel Day Lewis.
Can you imagine how BIlly Bob Thorton felt to concieve of,write, produce,direct and act in this amazing movie filmed not far from where BBT grew up. Epic movie
In the director's cut, when Karl returns to the house with the lawnmower blade, he starts to have second thoughts and actually walks away thinking maybe he shouldn't kill Doyle. It's done in one unbroken shot where he walks off into the distance and gets almost all the way out of the frame before he realizes he has to save Frank and Frank's mother from Doyle's wrath, so he turns around and comes back. It really adds a lot more depth to Karl's character.
Never heard of that scene. That would be a very big difference from this version, where there seems to be a single-mindedness about his plan. A near-total abandonment, with the final decision, would leave viewers with a much different view of what was going through his head..
One of the best performances I've seen. Worked with adults with special needs most of my career. He played the part to perfection. Dustin Hoffman in "Rain Man" was great as well.
When Vaughn breathlessly said “I will”, he knew that he would not see Carl again. He also knew that he was ready to take on the responsibility to raise Frank as his own son, immediately granting him the biggest emotional change of his life. Very powerful acting to properly grasp what was happening.
One of the finest movies ever made. Each character is perfect in the aggregate. Karl is one of the purest characters ever. I just love this movie. John Ritter was incredible in it. Everything is just perfect. A mercury is a fine car…
Carl knew that eventually Doyle would kill the boy because he was in the way so Carl had to kill doyle. This is such a good movie. Great acting from Thronton, Ritter.
@@scottb4023 You are so right, Dwight not only played Doyle but he was Doyle. It was that good. He did an amazing job of playing him. I would have liked to seen him in more movies. Great acting in that entire movie. Very under rated.
I saw Billy Bob on inside the actors studio...they were talking about doing carl...he said it was physically difficult to do...hurt his jaw ...hurt his throat...mr lipton asked him to do carl...it was crazy...Billy Bob put his head down...took a deep breath...and all you saw was carl....hes so underrated
I think Dwight Yoakum was stellar in this film. You know how good an actor is when he plays a villain. You just measure how much you hated the character and how satisfying his death was to see. Lol
The realization that vahaun had once carl said "You take care of that boy" after telling him to go and get them, carl giving all his money to him. Vahaun KNEW what was about to happen. This has always been one of the two most powerful scenes to me. Aside from carl telling his father that he should have given his brother a chance at life. ALL INVOLVED NEEDED an OSCAR! Billy bob of course, john Ritter and Dwight ALL deserved awards.
@@kerzytibok3211Carl isn't the brightest bulb. I think he meant just to be there for him. Teach him how to shave, advise him when he needed to be. Teach him between right and wrong etc. He didn't mean "go marry Linda" he meant, don't abandon them
While I agree with the comment of @AMEER-wp2mm, I hadn’t noticed the breathing sound until you mentioned it. I think it is the sound of Karl’s breath, but I can’t be sure. Good comment.
Authentic. I'm born and raised in the "south". The characters are absolutely spot on. The accents, the setting, the script.......everything is spot on. Great job.
Billy Bob Thornton transformed into a totally different person for this role. Much more than just makeup. He became his role. I would never have guessed Billy Bob was carl. Acting perfection. Award winning performance for sure.
What stands out to me is everyone in this movie just about played roles WAY outside their normal realms and absolutely killed it. I truly believed every one of these actors roles and the conversations were more than believable and natural. Ritter playing a southern gay man struggling with his own masculinity needs to be enough of a protective "father" to that boy was so far from his normal "man's man" roles. Of course Billy Bob himself was just... mind blowing and Yoakum to this day is the best villain role I have ever seen. He can play a complete dickhead to perfection.
I think this is one of the most beautifully acted and emotional scenes in movie history. Karl's sentiments about Frank, Vaughn, and the way Vaughn responds just pauses chokes me up every time. "I will."
Man the Music, the camera moving angles, this still gets me after so many Years... Well Done. Sharpening the mower blade Holly crap man. 🙂 He had me a One hit... WOW
I worked with Billy Bob Thornton back 1992 on a B budget film. It was released in 1993 under three different titles. Ghost Brigade, The Killing Box and Grey Knight. During the filming he was telling us about this film he wrote and wanted to produce. He was walking around between takes doing this character. At the time we all thought it was kinda funny and it wouldn't go anywhere. Boy, were we wrong!
@@bryancooper5495 So if you look at the link to the IMDB of this film, you will see Billy Bob Thornton listed in the cast. The film was shot at the same location were the TV series Little House on the Prairie was shot in Simi Valley Ca. Check out the link and the next time you call someone a liar, I would suggest you have your proof ready! Oh and same go's for you Kinvesu! www.imdb.com/title/tt0107319/
perfectionbox He was very under appreciated, he had kind of a strange career. He did a lot of character parts on tv dramas but he became a huge hit as a slapstick actor on Three’s Company and IMO he got typecast in those roles so it was weird to see him in something like this, it was probably a sign of where he wanted to go in his career. But he knew the $$$ was always gonna be in sitcoms for him
Dowhat Iwant Well, I respect your views. Everyone has an opinion. If you get a chance, watch the Inside The Actors Studio with him on it. At one point, he transform to that character in a few seconds. That’s where you see the brilliance in that role.
Unfortunately? Braveheart as a whole was more deserving of the Best Picture Award, and Cage’s performance in Leaving Las Vegas is one of the greatest of all time. Nothing unfortunate here, that being said, sling Blade is a diamond in the rough and will forever be a timeless masterpiece.
Billy Bob Thornton was beyond amazing and so was the movie. He should've gotten the Oscar. I love this scene with him and john Ritter. When I saw the movie I didn't even recognize him. Such a great movie and performances all he way around.
Ritter has done some great stuff, including improvised dialog comedy. This is his best dramatic role IMHO although there is plenty of comedic dialogue by him
John Ritter was an incredble actor as well as Billy Bob Thornton in this movie. What he says to him about being gay and "The Good Lord wouldn't send someone like you to hades" is an awesome line.
Dwight Yoakam must be a pretty good actor. I absolutely despised Doyle in this film! I've heard that if an actor you like can make you hate the character they are playing, they are doing a good job.
Patrick Clements:: I don’t know if anybody filmed Dwight Yoakam as the lead in “FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON” when he was in high school, but it would be something to view…..Dwight as “Charly”. There is a book “FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON” and later a movie “CHARLY” starring Cliff Robertson ^[ mixed reviews ]^….FYI.
I've heard that Dwight Y. is an actual ass hole 😆 🤣 😂 😹..I've not a clue...I've never met the man, but, I'll never forget posting something very similar to your post, and, someone soon after stating Yoakum ability to play a very convincing asshole, isn't an "act".. .
