Intrigued by Sling Blade's Oscar win for Best Adapted Screenplay over The English Patient, The Crucible, and Trainspotting, I rented this movie and watched it immediately. I viewed with high expectations and I was not let down. Billy Bob Thorton plays a mildly retarded man who is released from the mental hospital and is to start a new life in a small town near the hospital. Thorton plays Karl, who can fix machines very well, and is only slightly retarded as he has speech impediments and delayed thoughts. Karl befriends a little kid in town, through this relationship he meets the kid's mother and her abusive boyfriend. Karl leads a happy life until he realizes he has to protect his "new" family against the abusive boyfriend. Karl's past catches up with him, and he makes the same choice he did when he was young, for better or worse? Billy Bob Thorton's acting is perfect here, this is without a doubt his best performance. The family and towns people all fit into perfect roles, and the tale is truely entertaining and stunning. You won't be bored at any time during this movie, and you'll be begging for more. 9/10
Review of Sling Blade
