Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined

SanEat A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

Gurlyndrobb While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Usamah Harvey The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

denzil-09434 I'm not going to go in to detail. This movie is a moving study of the decency and beauty of ordinary people. I can hardly believe that I missed it on release. Billy Bob Thornton has been one of my favourite actors for many years but this performance simply blew me away. He proves himself in the Steve Carrell class of actors who can take on a character to the extent that you can't even tell who he is.One of the best movies ever made.

dragokin In my whole life i can remember only one movie i walked out of and that was Sling Blade.The reason was that Billy Bob Thornton's delivery of the script and to this date i'm unsure what the whole ordeal was about. However, i do remember that we were three people who almost at the same time voiced our concern about the movie and expressed the desire to leave the theater.When i think about it now Sling Blade was slightly ahead of it's time. Lars von Trier championed such movies that would make you uncomfortable and gets endless critical acclaim for it.Nothing more to add, this one simply didn't work out for me.

Sophie Gosing This film will stay with me for a long time. Billy Thornton played Karl's character effortlessly and perfectly. I really fell in love with Karl, his experiences remind you (well, smack you in the face) that good people can do bad things, and maybe the reasons behind cruel acts can make sense to good decent people. His friendship with Frank (Lucas Black) is charming and unusual, and almost instant. Lucas Black, as a young child, is unbelievable as an actor. I don't want to say too much. It has to be watched and felt.I sobbed like a baby. Please watch this film. It's both heartbreaking and heart warming. I couldn't turn away for a second.

kevinathome I have had this on my to-see list since Tracy the hairdresser raved about it in 1996.Well, I have certainly seen it spoofed enough. Billy Bob Thornton wrote and directed, and acted. He had a fixed, goofy expression, and said gruff sweet things in a highly southern dialect with odd grunts and non-verbal noises. I never did decide whether it was absurdly stylized, or a faithful impression of somebody he had known.Our hero had been raised in a dark shed and then had killed a mean boy when he found the boy screwing his mother. But then his mother tore into him and he killed her too. Then he spent 25 years in a nut house, but was now getting released. Everybody thought he was 'retarded'. So predictable! I knew right away he was going to kill again and promptly identified the target.To be fair, it raises some questions. The victim was the mean boyfriend of the mother of the nice boy that befriended our hero. The boy kept saying he wanted to kill the boyfriend or see him dead. The gay friend (John Ritter, doing a great job) of the woman pretty much knew what our hero planned when our hero asked for him to keep the woman overnight. But the friend didn't resist at all. And the boyfriend, while highly obnoxious, never did more than a push, and that in retaliation. The system, which had institutionalized our hero, let him out, but didn't follow up effectively.Perhaps the point was to demonstrate that for most of us, including me as it turns out, we prefer a nice killer to a dickish victim. The killing felt OK, almost brave, that he knowingly sacrificed his freedom.It had 5 stars on Netflix. And yes, it had tons of style. But so predictable! And slow! Seemed like hours! My wife fell asleep repeatedly, but had no trouble following it. I confess I found it compelling.