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I guess the main reason why I wanted to see this movie was because it was written and directed by Billy Bob Thornton, who also played a role in it. Even though the man hasn't really been able to prove a lot with his work as a director, I must say that I almost always appreciate him as an actor. He's perhaps not the most popular actor in Hollywood, but in my opinion he sure is one of the better ones.

In this movie he plays the role of Karl Childers, a grown, but simple man who is released from the psychiatric hospital where he has been hospitalized since the age of twelve. He had to stay in that hospital for so long because he murdered his own mother and her lover, believing that they were doing something wrong. He returns to the town where he lived the first twelve years of his life and it doesn't take long for him to get a job as a mechanic, fixing all kinds of small motors at a local repair shop. In the same town he also meets Frank, a young and friendly boy who immediately seems to like this strange man. Soon Karl is invited by Frank's mother to stay in their garage, much against the will of her alcoholic and abusive boyfriend Doyle. While Karl's friendship with Frank gets stronger, the tension between him and Doyle keeps building up, until reaching its final climax...

Now that I've finally seen this movie, I can only say that it's too bad that I didn't give it a try earlier. Especially thanks to the magnificent performance by Billy Bob Thornton, this is a movie that is more than just worth a watch. But also the other actors like Dwight Yoakam, Natalie Canerday,... did a very good job. The entire movie feels very realistic, is quite sober and never tries to be too dramatic. This is the kind of movie that could have become very preachy, but it hasn't and that's something that I really appreciate. Add to this some good directing and you know that Thornton has done a very nice job with this movie.

This isn't exactly a typical Hollywood movie, not in its story and certainly not in its approach towards the subject. This could easily have become some kind of cheesy TV-movie, but Billy Bob Thornton has made a very good movie out of it instead. I really appreciated his work as a director, actor and writer in this movie, liked the story and was intrigued by the acting of all the actors. That's why I give it a 7.5/10, maybe even an 8/10.

I remember first watching Sling Blade and thinking, "Oh no, here is a Forest Gump copycat." After all, the main character, Karl (Billy Bob Thornton) was mentally challenged and they were in the South. In reality, that's where the similarities stopped, but I didn't know that at the time. The second detractor for me was Billy Bob Thornton. I had only seen Billy Bob in one movie before Sling Blade and that was Bad Santa (yes I saw Sling Blade for the first time that many years later) and I thought that movie was dreadful, hence my impression of Billy Bob was also negative.

Sling Blade was a welcome surprise. Billy Bob did an excellent job with the role and of course I was doubly surprised to see that he had written and directed the movie.

Sling Blade was terrific in its simplicity. Karl was a simple man, he lived with simple folks in a simple town. That's not to say that they were without problems. Karl's mental handicap, Linda Wheatley's (Natalie Canderday) man issues, Frank Wheatley's (Lucas Black) fatherless issues, Doyle's (Dwight Yoakam) drinking problem, et al. For the simplicity of it all it was simply perfect.

As someone who loves good filmmaking, I rate this film among the best I've ever seen in all areas of the craft. Some of the criticisms of this film are hard to fathom.

The screenplay has the tight conciseness of a well-honed play (which this essentially was derived from) and doesn't fail to prick at the emotions and the intellect of the viewer. The photography, the casting and the editing all click together quite admirably.

However, I always marvel at the negative, emotionalized responses to otherwise superb films such as this by those who seem to miss the entire point of a movie like "Sling Blade".

I did not see a political message about abortion, or a justification of murder or even a backhanded putdown of the rural people of Arkansas. (Many of the characters were locals, by the way.) Some viewers are setting themselves up to be against this film since they are wearing their own feelings on their sleeves and fail to see the subtle layers of the story. They are seeing only the reflection of themselves on the surface of the water, rather than the complex world below.

Theater and film are rooted in images and characterizations designed to help us explore the human condition. It was once said that Tolstoy's voluminous novel "War and Peace" could be summed up in a single sentence thereby negating the need to write the book. Art is not a fast explanation, but a captivating and thought-provoking trip that hopefully forces us to think about our own motivations. Taking a one-dimensional view of this film might lead one to believe that Karl Childer's central message is that we should all eat biscuits smeared with mustard.

"Sling Blade" excels at the job of making us examine the terrible choices life gives us by providing a set of characters who interact in a moving, curious and revealing way. It is not reality nor is it political, but a method by which we can look at our own individual realities.

Others who seemed disenchanted with this film out-of-hand are those who found it "slow". Helloooo! This film is SUPPOSED to be slow and agonizingly so. It is carefully walking you to the conclusion, step-by-step, so you can squirm uncomfortably at the overall foreshadowing. It ain't an explosion-a-minute John Woo filmmaking and it certainly isn't light comedy, though it induces a surprising number of smiles.

This is a film that makes us look at true evil in the form of J.T. Walsh, Dwight Yoakum and Robert Duval's characters and compare it to the pure goodness of the damaged creature portrayed by Billy Bob Thornton, whose own brutalization leads him to seek justice in his own imperfect way.

To help those out who didn't "get" this film, I might recommend that you consider Thornton's character to be an amalgamation of Herman Melville's innocently homicidal protagonist in "Billy Budd" and Mary Shelley's sad monster Frankenstein. These characters, like Thornton's Karl Childers, were dramatic vehicles for the purpose of making us think. They did bad things but we were forced to view them compassionately because they reflected our own conflicting traits.

Don't read things into a film that aren't there, but don't ignore the interesting elements that are. Get those wheels upstairs turning and start enjoying intelligent filmmaking instead of merely seeking an excitement fix!

Set in a small, rural Southern town, Billy Bob Thornton's "Sling Blade" is so flavorful in ambiance and tone, so rich in character and theme that it's hard to believe that its roots are not to be found in any short story or novel. For while it has all the earmarks of a great work of literature, "Sling Blade" is actually an original creation by Thornton, the triple threat talent who wrote, directed and stars in the work.

Karl Childers is a marginally retarded man who's been living in a mental institution ever since, as a child, he accidentally stumbled across his mother and her lover in a compromising position and, in a moment of considerable confusion, hacked the two of them to death. After being officially declared by the state to be "rehabilitated" and "cured," Karl is thrust back out into the world where he forms a bond with a fatherless boy, his hardworking, compassionate mother and a gay storeowner who has long since become a part of their extended family. Also part of that family is the widow's twisted boyfriend, Doyle Hargraves, who physically and psychologically abuses both mother and son.

Thanks to Carl's "strangeness" and homicidal background, as well as the simmering volatility and mercurial temperament of Doyle, there is always the threat of violence hanging ominously over the work. Yet, in many ways, "Sling Blade" is really about the goodness of people in their willingness to overlook external differences and to find the similarities that unite us all in a common bond of humanity. For the most part, the people in this quiet little community try to reach out and befriend Karl, sensing a decency in him that helps to mitigate any possible fear they might have of him based solely on surface eccentricities. Even when he is eventually forced into violent action, he does so as an avenging angel bringing swift and righteous justice, not as a murderous demon acting out of hatred or malice.

The acting in the film - beginning with Thornton himself - could not be more brilliant. With his stooped shoulders, tight-lipped smile, jutting jaw, vacant expression and guttural throat-clearing, Karl became the butt of so many jokes back when the movie first came out that it's easy to forget what a truly amazing character - and job of acting - Thornton has pulled off here. The actor we've known from so many other movies is completely invisible in this role, as he literally becomes Karl in every fiber of his being and, in so doing, forces us to see the wisdom and humanity buried deep inside the person. The performance is such a touchstone of acting for our generation that it is easy to miss all the other great acting in the film, particularly on the part of Natalie Canerday, Lucas Black, John Ritter, J.T. Walsh, Robert Duvall and, most especially, Dwight Yoakam, whose portrayal of a man teetering on the edge of a psychopathic meltdown is bone-chilling and brilliant.

As a writer, Thornton has shaped his film like a modern day parable - simple, symbol-laden and allegorical. As a director, he proves himself a master of rhythm and pacing, setting the mood and allowing the scenes to play themselves out without recourse to overstatement or melodrama. In fact, this is one of those rare movies in which every moment feels just right, so confident is Thornton in his ability as a filmmaker to bring his story to life on screen. He also knows how to make the bucolic setting come across as both stark and sensuous at the same time, a place of quiet stillness that provides the perfect backdrop for the morality tale he is endeavoring to tell. Finally, Daniel Lanois has provided a haunting musical score that ever so subtly draws us into the disturbingly offbeat world of the drama.

"Sling Blade" earned a Best Original Screenplay Oscar for Thornton, but he should also have won awards for his directing and his performance as Karl, not to mention the film itself which should have won the honor as Best Picture of 1996 - although Hollywood, in its infinite wisdom, failed even to nominate it. Ah well, even with that lapse in judgment, "Sling Blade" remains one of the great movie dramas of the past decade.

I can't believe it took me so long to finally see this movie and I must admit I had never seen any work by Billy Bob Thornton. Without a doubt, Sling Blade is one of the finest pieces of work ever put on film. Billy Bob's performance as Karl Childers is absolutely riveting! I found myself completely fascinated by this character. The entire ensemble of characters are superbly cast. The child actor who plays Frank is talented beyond his years. This story unfolds in many layers, with friendship and love woven between bigotry and cruelty. It begins with a somewhat horrible description of the double murder of Karl's mother and her lover, but yet is tastefully done with words, no cheap views of blood and gore. It shows how the lack of parental love and understanding can form an individual, but also how the human heart can still have the capacity to be open, as in the relationship between Karl and Frank. You'll feel completely drawn into this little family with its pain and problems.

This is a masterpiece of superb acting, writing and directing! If you haven't seen it yet, please don't deny yourself the opportunity of viewing one of the most amazingly touching movies you will ever see. Even in the company of great performances by Tom Hanks and Dustin Hoffman, I think Sling Blade leaves Forrest Gump and Rain Man in the dust!

Sling Blade is a very well acted, well displayed, and interesting masterpiece. I just loved it from beginning to end.

First I would like to comment on the excellent acting across the board, especially the late John Ritter and Billy Bob Thornton's ensemble portrayal of Karl. I could not help but feel very attached to Karl from the opening scene, his release from the mental institution, his struggles with the outside world, and how he related to the town people. Sling Blade is one of those movies that I would love to sit down and talk about for hours with a friend. I would also love to hear others' perspectives about what made this movie great.

It seems that every scene was worked to perfection. From the lighting and camera's viewpoint to the acting and music. I enjoyed every scene, but thought that three really stood out. Without giving too much away, they are as follows. No spoilers here:

1. Inside the house after band practice where Karl does not move from the couch.

2. When Karl is visited at work and we see him make eye contact for the first time.

3. The scene where Karl is in the garage late at night. The chilling music really captures the mood. My heart was pounding during this one!

I hold Mr. Thornton to a very high respect. He created a masterpiece that is emotional, thrilling, dramatic, humorous, and entertaining.

I love how, though there is a plot, Thornton's direction never seems in a hurry to get to it. Instead, his steady & strong hand just meanders around this wonderful town. The performances are authentic and the characters engaging; you just wanna stay with them as long as you're welcome. And that conversation at Ritter's doorstep about God not sending him to hell sent gave this the official 5-star bump for me.

I was watching I love the 90's with my sister last night and the mentioned Sling Blade, I remember trying to watching this when I was younger, but I couldn't get through it. Figuring now that I'm a little older to give it a chance and I'm glad I did, I just watched it last night and I was extremely impressed with the fact that this was Billy Bob's first movie, not only did he act in it, but he also wrote and directed it as well. It was like Forrest Gump meets Silence of the Lambs, it was a movie that kept your nerves up and your curiosity going into what would happen next.

Karl is a slow man who has just been released from the mental institution for killing his mom and her boyfriend when he was a child. When he is released into town, he has no where to stay, but then he meets a young boy who he befriends, the boy has no father and asks his mom if Karl can stay with them, she agrees to it. But their lives are far from perfect, they have an extremely abusive man in their lives, Doyle, who threatens their lives on a daily basis. Karl wants to protect them, but it may lead him back into the life that he was just told he was "well" from.

Sling Blade is a very well acted movie that despite it's length, it keeps you going. The characters are so well thought out, it's hard to choose who was the break out actor of the film. But Billy in his first major role, he was just amazing, he looked so calm and relaxing, but yet you didn't know what he was going to do next. John Ritter was also amazing, his character was so sympathetic and beautiful. I would highly recommend this movie, it's a terrific dark drama that deserves it's praise.

9/10

Sling Blade tells a down-to-earth story about a developmentally disabled man released from a mental hospital, having killed his mother many years prior. It's a film that's as sad as it sounds, without any inspirational embellishments or happy endings. His release entails the man stumbling around the local town, relying only on the goodwill of his newfound working class friends and no familial support. Lead actor Billy Bob Thornton plays to his strengths and constantly exudes a feeling of simple satisfaction and longing for his connections, which are frustrated due to the everyday villains represented by his father and the alcoholic boyfriend plaguing his new family. Unfortunately, there's no simple resolution and things turn into a tragedy again as he protects his friends the only way he knows how. The film's strength lies in its down to earth actors, who lend the characters a sense of sad familiarity and impart a feeling of just how trapped everyone is in this grounded scenario.

I watched this movie last night and my first thought was that I needed to be able to thank Billy Bob for this movie. I'm almost 71 years old and my childhood was not the best. This movie captured the feelings of hopelessness that I felt as a child. I watched with my husband and it's the first time I feel that I've been able to share with him the hopelessness feelings that I experienced as a child. It's truly the best movie I've ever seen. Thank you Billy Bob Thornton for this wonderful masterpiece. I've always loved your work and watch everything you are associated with This is the best. .its a shame that it's not more readily available.

Written and directed by Billy Bob Thornton "Sling Blade" gives us a detailed character study of psychopath Karl Childers just released from a mental hospital.

Billy Bob Thornton puts his heart and soul into this believable rendition of a sad and lonely man set free into an uncaring world with no immediate job, no family, no friends. We suddenly feel how desperate the situation is.

This is not a happy film. Far from it, Karl's worldly goods appear to be half a dozen books tied together with a leather belt. One of the books held dear to him is the Holy Bible. He admits he does not understand all of it, but he lives by it. He understands that some men are good and others have evil ways.

He was put away in the "Nut house", as they say, because he murdered his own mother and her lover. All this he confides in a young boy who becomes his firm friend. This wonderfully warm relationship lifts the film at times out of its depressive mood. "I like the way you talk", they tell each other. May be so, but unfortunately for me I did not appreciate nor could I understand the difficult dialects. I am sorry I missed so much. The story however remained clear.

Karl tends to bottle up his emotions with a strange uncontrollable jerk of the chin (a clever piece of acting) and we sense a mounting tension that might at any time put him in a dangerous mood. How would you feel, for example, if he burst into your bedroom at midnight with hammer in hand?

The film rolls on slowly (perhaps too slowly for some) and we meet the local characters that provide him with shelter and try him out on odd jobs such as sharpening lawn mower blades. A quite horrifying part of the film is the determined look on Karl's face as he files away on a steel blade to a razor sharp edge. A man with a plan?

Before the terrifying climax Karl gives the boy his most valued possession, his books including his Bible. A truly heart warming moment.

Billy Bob Thornton's portrayal of Karl is absolute perfection.

It's impossible to ignore the incredible performance of Billy Bob Thornton as Karl. This is what acting is all about - the portrayal and mimicry of the real world as opposed to dressing up as someone else and being yourself (Michael Cane always springs to mind but they are legion in number these types of actor). Sadly, that is the only compliment I can pay, as the finale is the most predictable yet unrealistic you're likely to encounter and, if you are of the mind that you have witnessed justice take place, then heaven help anyone you may sit on a jury and try - because that's what they'll need if there's more than one of you in attendance.

A magnificent film! Watching Billy Bob, I was reminded of Bo Radley (Robert Duvall)in To Kill a Mockingbird. The irony of seeing Duvall in Sling Blade made it that much more rewarding. Yes, it's true, the ending was inevitable, but so what? The journey to the end was what made this film the gem that it is. Dwight Yoakam made my skin crawl, and Lucas Black as little Frank brought out my motherhood instinct. Protect that boy, Karl! And he did. This had all the elements of a great film: an unselfish hero who brings about changes in the lives of others in a meaningful way. Granted, had his mental capabilities been greater he might have made another choice. Given the circumstances of the film, there was no other choice.

No film in recent years has held me as spellbound as SLING BLADE, written by BILLY BOB THORNTON (for which he won an Oscar for Best Screenplay), and starring the actor in a memorable role for which he was Oscar nominated but failed to win.

He becomes the character with such truth--and such emotional underplaying--that he makes the whole story even more moving than it would have been with any other actor in the leading role. He plays a retarded man released from prison after serving twenty-five years for killing his mother and her lover with a sling blade. He felt morally justified because he saw their act of love as evil, only later realizing that it was wrong to kill them.

We follow his release, first accepted with kindness by a local repair shop where he reveals himself to be skilled at fixing motors, then received into the family of a boy he's befriended, played wonderfully by LUCAS BLACK. Unfortunately, the family life is ruined by a violently dysfunctional man called Doyle (DWIGHT YOAKAM) who is a crude bully and redneck full of bitter hatred and resenting the intrusion of Thornton and the boy and possessive in his relationship with the mother.

The biggest weakness in the screenplay is figuring out why the mother would ever be attracted by such a bigoted bully. Yoakam plays him in a ruthless manner that shows no compassion for the character and he's so evil that you have to wonder about the mother's mental faculties in letting him even near the family. It's also hard to believe that she would let the retired man use her garage for shelter on such short acquaintance with her son. But hey, this is a movie, this is the script, and that's it.

All of the acting is uniformly excellent, particularly BILLY BOB THORNTON, who was nominated and would have deserved the Oscar for his penetrating study of a retarded man without a single false note.

Tension builds because the viewer is aware that some sort of confrontation has to happen between Karl (Thornton) and Doyle. It's a matter of waiting to see what develops and that's what keeps the viewer hooked onto the story and wondering how it will conclude.

It's a fully realized slice of life, Southern style with hillbilly overtones, always centered on the main thrust of the story without ever losing its touch, rich in atmospheric detail. J.T. WALSH as a fellow inmate is impressive, as is JOHN RITTER (whom I didn't even recognize at first) as a sympathetic gay man, amazingly real in a serious role. ROBERT DUVALL has a cameo bit as an indifferent father that he plays faultlessly.

Summing up: Brilliant film, highly recommended and involving a very touching relationship between the small boy and the retarded man.

Thornton plays victim to a cruel society where he is released from a long stint in prison and becomes a guardian angel for a young boy who is abused by his mother's lover. A slow sombre piece that gives you time to enter the mental state of Thornton's character. Once you are in there, you realise the humanity that justifies the end actions. Theatrical in style with powerful performances and a haunting music score.

Sling Blade is one of my favorite movies of all time, and I think Billy Bob Thornton made a cinematic masterpiece with this one. The film's heart is in so many right places that it's hard to not love it.

The story is so original and compelling that you cannot take your eyes off the screen. Billy Bob created the perfect environment for all these great characters to thrive in. With a perfect cast that brought this story to life, a perfect score, and a sad yet beautiful ending.

This is one movie that you will have no problem watching from beginning to end. I absolutely love this film, and highly recommend it.

I have watched over 2,000 movies in my life. That does not make me an expert movie reviewer. I enjoy movies that move me - it can be laughter, sorrow, tears, whatever...as long as I am moved, I enjoy the movie. For those I enjoy watching over and over, I buy the dvd.

I was surprised to see this classic at only an 8.0 as I expected it to be a very high 8 or low 9. So I looked up to see the 1 Star reviews. They are terrible and do nothing to describe the movie, only the watcher.

I found this movie to be brilliant. The acting by Thorton, Yoakum and Ritter I thought was great, especially for a low budget film. My boys and I will use Yoakum's lines from this movie over and over - "we don't need to practice Randy!"

If you are new to IMDB, give this movie a try. Focus on the comedic aspects of Dwight's character and the background of Carl, what made him the way he was and how he basically is a good human but a tragic soul.

This movie is a keeper.

This is a good film; the actors are all great for their roles, the story is involving, the way the film is handled is sincere (sometimes overly sincere) and straightforward. I particularly liked John Ritter as the concerned friend and Dwight Yoakam as the loose-cannon psycho. Who would have thought they had so many dimensions to their personas? Complemented by Thornton and J.T. Walsh, this is one of the best casts assembled in years, and they do it all perfectly. A very affecting, true story with a sadness and weight to it, but also somehow managing to be uplifting without flinching on any of its punches.

Across the continent of America, many a folk story or backwoods' hero emerges to make its mark across the silver screen. These stories can be whimsical, mirthful or oftentimes so dramatic as to capture our very soul. Such a story is " Sling Blade " written, directed and staring Billy Bob Thornton. His quiet but dynamic story is about Karl Childers, a mentally retarded man who was incarcerated in the state Mental hospital for a duel murder. Years later the state has released him back into society where he meets and befriends a young boy. (Lucas Black) The boy's mother invites Karl to live with them, which doesn't bother anyone except the new boyfriend, Doyle Hargraves (Dwight Yoakam). Hargraves attempts to impose his drunken, abusive authority on the household which leads to direct confrontation with Karl. This awkward situation chafes on Hargraves who demands the boy and his mother throw the 'retard' out. At the same time Karl warns him, if he attempts to harm either one, he will prevent it. John Ritter plays Vaughan Cunningham a gay friend of the family and perhaps a most powerful if not courageous role for the lovable TV. star. J.T. Walsh is utterly convincing when he plays Charles Bushman an annoying and insufferable patient at the mental hospital. The story is serious, dramatic, suspense-fully cathartic and in every way darkly entertainingly. Billy Bob Thornton is incredibly perfect as the simple man with a straight forward role which is sure to earn it's rightful place as a Classic. ****

I've just seen this movie more than 10 years after it was released.I'd heard about it and it was as good as the hype I'd heard.It was written,directed and starred in by Billy Bob Thornton.

Billy Bob plays a mentally challenged man,Karl,who must try to fit back into society after a long stay in a mental hospital.He gets a job in a repair shop and soon becomes friends with a boy and his mom and moves into their garage.Also hanging around is the moms abusive boyfriend,superbly played by Dwight Yokem.

I guess the most impressive thing about this movie is the superb acting of everyone involved.Billy Bob is terrific as Karl and Yokem is perfect as the boyfriend who is determined to make everyone around him as miserable as he is.Haven't we all known insecure rednecks who hate everyone because their own life is a pointless hateful mess?Yokem nails this guy perfectly.John Ritter plays a gay man and it was good to see just how well the late actor could play a serious part when he had the chance.No one looks much like themselves in this film.It would be hard to tell who Thornton,Yokem and Ritter are if you didn't know they were in this film.And the small town life is captured really well by this film.

The only problems I had with the movie was that some of the lines Thornton wrote for the young boy were just too sappy and maudlin at times.No self respecting 11 year old boy is gonna say some of the stuff that this one said.But that is a minor thing.The other problem was that as soon as I saw the abusive boyfriend I knew what the outcome was going to be.Maybe that is my fault for thinking too much ahead instead of just watching the film.But again that is a minor thing.

All in all I really enjoyed this film.But seeing it in 2007 I have to wonder what has happened to Billy Bob in the last 10 or 11 years since this movie came out? Anybody who can write and direct and star in a movie of this caliber obviously has some talent. So why is Thornton wasting his time and talents on crap like "Bad Santa" and "School for Scoundrels"? But even if Thornton never does another decent movie at least he has "Sling Blade" to his credit.And that ain't bad,uh-huh.

I had high hopes for this film, after seeing the short that it was the inspiration for (see Some Folks call it a Sling Blade). The short was both sad and terrifying--Karl Childers is shown as being both a traumatized individual whose childhood horrifies us and someone who terrifies us with the thought that he might be walking among us. However, in the film, the character is changed to a Charly-type: slightly mentally slow (although at times very bright and insightful which didn't seem to trouble Billy Bob Thornton as writer or directer at all) but a good hearted and kind person. The characters are all unbelievable. The main part of the story, Karl's friendship with a young boy, is the most unbelievable part of the story--the boy is not presented as enough of a "loser" to explain why he would form a friendship with someone like Karl. Ever seen this happen in real life? In real life, he would try to raise his standing among his friends by making fun of someone like Karl. Then, we are to believe that, somehow, the mental hospital/prison Karl was in provided nothing in the way of transition living, but somehow he learned small engine repair there well enough to be given a job by (an unbelievably good) person. Despite being institutionalized most of his life and living in a hole the rest of it, Karl somehow has obtained job skills that would be the envy of many employers. That's believable? Then, after knowing him for only a few days, Karl informs the boy's mother that he was in prison for murdering two people--including his mother. The boy's mother reacts as if Karl just told her he was in jail for writing a bad check. I don't care how nice a person you are, you would be concerned about this and would certainly limit your child's time with someone like this--wouldn't you? That's believable? Then there is the mother's boyfriend who, in contrast to everybody else in the movie who seems to be a refugee from the set of the Andy Griffith Show, makes Hannibal Lector look like someone who you'd like to see your daughter dating. He is so one-dimensionally bad that he, too, isn't believable. You know what is going to happen in the film after about 2 minutes of seeing him. All you do is wait to see how it happens. No surprises there! Want another example of how unbelievable the story is? The little hole that Karl dug to sleep in is still nicely preserved in the back shed--even has all the junk conveniently piled around it when he goes back to see it 25 years later. 25 years later? Junk everywhere, but the little hole is still the way it was? The directing is terrible--just once it would have been nice to see a close-up shot of the actors--just to see if they can really act. Thorton's acting, powerful in the short film, becomes downright silly as the mannerisms which made him sad and terrifying in the short, seem to occur only sporadically in the movie version. The film is a trite view of the trauma of horrible child abuse and the difficulties people with mental disabilities have coping with life. Do yourself a favor. See the short--skip the film.