Sling Blade follows Karl, who as a teen was placed in a mental institution for brutally murdering his mother and a classmate after catching the two in the throws of a romantic tryst. Karl is released, but after spending most of his life in the hospital, he finds himself friendless and has a hard time finding a place in society. He eventually befriends a young boy, Frank (Lucas Black), and moves into his garage. Frank's widowed mother, Linda (Natalie Canerday), and her best friend, a gay store manager named Vaughn (John Ritter), adopt Karl into their motley family despite the ardent protests of Linda's abusive boyfriend, Doyle (Dwight Yoakam). The family is as unconventional as they get, but it has a heart and emotional core usually missing from other, more traditional family dramas.
Sling Blade is a great Southern drama, not in the sense that it's a drama that takes place in the South, but meticulous care is taken throughout the film to add legitimacy to the small-town setting. While Hollywood typically labors under the stereotype that all Southerners are slow-witted, Bible-thumpers who "talk funny," Sling Blade offers a different view. Characters still speak in a Southern vernacular, but characters never come off as stupid. Even Karl projects a quiet wisdom even during long periods of silence.
These periods of silence make up much of the film's dialogue, leading to a slower pace than most films. Scenes run long with very few breaks, so viewers with shorter attention spans may get a bit restless. At times, it even seems like much of the film's runtime is wasted, but even the "wasted" time pays off eventually. Even one-line characters mean something to the overall picture.
As far as Sling Blade's 1080p transfer is concerned, there's a noticeable shift between good and bad. The film looks best during darker scenes, particularly during some of the outdoor scenes. Colors are vibrant and the blacks don't crush the picture. Other times, the film shifts to a softer, almost out-of-focus look. It isn't distracting, but is disappointing for a Blu-ray release.
Thankfully, Miramax makes up for the lack of a picture upgrade with an impressive slate of extras. "Mr. Thornton Goes to Hollywood" follows follows Thornton's career from a struggling actor to writer/ director/ star of Sling Blade. This is followed up by a more recent (as in, when he was married to Angelia Jolie) "Bravo Profile." Thornton isn't a favorite of mine, but after watching both profiles and listening to his film commentary, he's someone I wouldn't mind grabbing a beer with sometime.
Next up is a round of "Conversations with..." segments, including Thornton, Robert Duvall and composer Daniel Lanois. Thornton and Duvall also take part in a roundtable discussion with Dwight Yoakam, Mickey Jones and producer David Bushell. If that isn't enough Thornton for you, there are also three "On the set..." featurettes and "The Return of Karl," a short where Thornton reprises his role as Karl while giving direction on the set of Daddy and Them.
If you already own the DVD version, the Blu-ray isn't worth an upgrade unless you're slowly converting your collect to HD. If you haven't seen it yet, this is your best opportunity.
