Billy Bob Thornton: 5 Awesome Performances & 5 That Sucked

The best and worst of Billy Bob's career to date. Mmm-hmm.

By Padraig Cotter /

Billy Bob Thornton has come a very long way from his humble beginnings in the film business, where he€™d regularly appear in bit parts on low-budget films like Chopper Chicks In Zombietown. Even then he showed a charisma that overcame the terrible scripts he was working on, but it was only when he created his own material that people started taking notice. He wrote and starred in the acclaimed €“ but little seen €“ thriller One False Move, which soon led to him writing and directing Sling Blade, the film that made his career. Since then he€™s written, directed and starred in a wide variety of movies, ranging from tiny budget indies to massive summer blockbusters. There doesn€™t appear to be any role Thornton can€™t tackle, and he€™s equally comfortable in sily comedies or deathly serious dramas. He also has the ability to find humanity in seriously unlikable characters; a talent he€™s demonstrated more than once. He seems to be more comfortable in indie movies, stating his dislike of the Hollywood process. This might explain why - when he does show up in larger budget movies - he tends to coast a little bit. With today's UK release of Our Brand Is Crisis, where he co-stars with Sandra Bullock, let€™s take a look back on some of the highlights €“ and lowlights €“ of Billy Bob€™s eventful career.

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