Sling Blade (1996)

Launching his film career and securing a title of serious actor, Billy Bob Thornton writes and directs himself in Sling Blade - based on his play Some People Call it a Sling Blade.

Karl Childers has served a couple decades in the state mental hospital in the southern US for murder. Despite the brutal crime, he has not exhibited violence since the crime, in fact he is a gentle, simple-minded man with a predisposition toward Christianity. He returns to his home town where he begins to work for an engine repair shop and where he befriends a boy and his mother.

Karl plays the role of holiness and he does it with such humility that it is difficult to picture him dealing out judgment. He also plays the role of abused child and some of the stories he tells will break your heart.

This is an excellent film from start to finish. I recommend the director's cut - all 2 1/2 hours.

IMDB