Billy Bob Thornton: 5 Awesome Performances & 5 That Sucked
3. Karl Childers - Sling Blade
Sling Blade is the movie that made Billy Bob a household name, whilst also launching a thousand mmm-hmm impersonations. He wrote, directed and starred in this indie drama about a mentally disabled man struggling to fit back into society after killing his mother, and its a stunning piece of work. Thornton transformed himself physically for the role, developing the characters distinctive speech pattern and mannerisms over the course of many years. The scene where he describes killing his mother is a chilling look inside Karls mind, and even though he's normally a gentle figure theres a darkness that lingers over him throughout. His dark side will eventually re-emerge; its just a question of when. The heart of the movie is the friendship between Karl and a boy named Frank, which brings some much-needed tenderness. Theres a grim inevitability about how the movie ends, but for a little while, Karl gets to be treated as an equal instead of an outcast. Sling Blade received a veritable shower of awards, with Thornton taking home a much-deserved Oscar for his screenplay.
