Product Description

The Miramax Collector's Series proudly presents the two-disc release of the powerful motion picture applauded by critics and moviegoers alike ... written, directed, and starring Billy Bob Thornton (1996 Academy Award(TM) Winner, Best Adapted Screenplay and Academy Award(R) Nominee, Best Actor). Twenty five years after committing an unthinkable crime, a quiet man named Karl (Thornton) is finally returning home. Once there, he is befriended by a fatherless boy and his mother. But when his new-found peace is shattered by the mother's abusive boyfriend (Grammy-winner Dwight Yoakam), Karl is suddenly placed on a collision course with his past! Also featuring Robert Duvall (OPEN RANGE), John Ritter (BAD SANTA), and J.T. Walsh (BREAKDOWN) -- SLING BLADE is an unforgettable movie experience!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2740 in DVD
• Brand: THORNTON,BILLY BOB
• Released on: 2005-06-07
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Collector's Edition, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Spanish
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 135 minutes

Amazon.com
Billy Bob Thornton wrote, directed, and starred in this mesmerizing drama with haunting overtones of To Kill a Mockingbird. Thornton plays a mentally retarded man who has spent 20 years in a psychiatric hospital for killing his mother and her lover. Released into the community from which he came, he befriends and protects a lonely boy regularly harassed and abused by his mom's boyfriend (a terrific performance by Dwight Yoakam). The story is ultimately about sacrifice, but Thornton certainly doesn't get twinkly about it. Some of the best material concerns the hero's no-big-deal efforts to integrate into a "normal" life: working, eating fast food, earning admiration for his handyman skills, and attaining a semblance of community among other damaged souls. John Ritter has a great part as a gay shopkeeper who tries to assuage his own loneliness by spilling his guts out to Thornton's uncomprehending character. --Tom Keogh

DVD features
For anyone who hasn't seen Sling Blade since its 1995 release, attempting to identify added scenes in this somewhat longer director's cut (148 minutes versus the original film's 135) is a bit of a challenge. Fortunately, writer-director-star Billy Bob Thornton has updated his optional commentary track to identify those extra moments and explain why he re-inserted them. For the most part, this previously unseen footage extends the mood of certain scenes, stretching out moments of humor, compassion, tension, etc. There are no important revelations, but it is interesting to hear Thornton talk about the background of these scenes, and where ideas for the dialogue and action come from.

The second disc in this special edition of Sling Blade offers quite a few special features, several of great interest, including a couple of lengthy, biographical features about Thornton. One is a Bravo Profile originally seen on the Bravo cable channel, including interviews with Sling Blade composer Daniel Lanois, Thornton's friend Matt Damon, and then-wife Angelina Jolie, who calls Thornton "a mad genius with a deep soul." The other piece provides extensive material about Thornton's childhood, the years in which he lived with his grandmother, learned basketball from his "hot-headed Irish father," and eventually grew up and moved to Los Angeles. Also on disc 2 is a roundtable discussion with Thornton, Dwight Yoakam, and Lanois, a conversation with Lanois and Thornton about the film's music score, and two interviews with co-star Robert Duvall. The latter has a lot to say about what makes Sling Blade a classic film and why he's proud to be a part of it. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

Sling Blade
Just another item that my son asked for for Christmas! No where else to find it at such a great price! Speedy delivery! Awesome!

Wonderful Movie
This is a wonderful movie and I have been looking for it for several years and it is very hard to find! And when I found it here on Amazon.com I was very thrilled. My husband and I really enjoyed it and are very happy with our purchase, which we both thought was a very good price.

Stunning portrayal by Billy Bob Thornton
The film that launched Billy Bob Thornton's career, "Sling Blade", is one of the most stirring films released over the past dozen years. The character portrayed by Thornton, Karl Childers, a mentally deficient individual released from a state hospital years after killing two people, is understated and powerful. Reading Thornton's face is to read his mind and the entire film is brilliantly paced. The supporting cast, led by a young Lucas Black, is terrific. "Sling Blade" is worth viewing more than once for its nuanced dialogue and heart-wrenching performances.