Blu-ray specs
Video: 1080p HD
Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio/ Spanish 2.0 Dolby Digital
This Oscar winning film was the highlight of Billy Bob Thornton’s career. This movie was all the vision of Billy as he wrote, directed and starred in this amazing work of cinematography. Being from Arkansas, Billy incorporated a number of aspects from his life growing up into this story. Although Mr. Thornton was acting since he was in school, this was the work that really rocketed him into the forefront of film and movies. Billy assembled a cast of friends and great actors to round out this cast, such as country singer Dwight Yoakam, Robert Duvall, John Ritter, J.T Walsh just to name a few.
Billy Bob plays Karl Childers who was an abused child with mental retardation. He was sent to a mental institution at a young age for murdering his mother and her young lover. Some years later he is set for release from the institute back into the world he doesn’t know. Luckily, the head of the institution helps to give Karl a start by getting him a job at a small engine repair shop. Karl crosses paths with a young boy, Frank Wheatley, and the pair forms a bond of friendship. Frank takes Karl to meet his mother, Linda, and convinces her to let Karl stay in their shed to live. Linda is a single mother, but has a boyfriend named Doyle. Doyle is a mean drunk whom abuses both Linda and Frank, and when he learns of Karl moving in isn’t very happy. The demons of Karl’s past are resurrected when he is injected into this world of dysfunction and abuse.
If ever you wanted to know about Billy Bob Thornton, this is the disc for you. There is over 5 hours of bonus material and the majority of it is focused on Mr. Thornton. All of the extra features are presented in standard definition and are a good gage of how the Blu-ray enhances older films that predate the HD cameras. The extras are good but lengthy. Also they are a bit repetitive in the profiling of Billy’s career and growing up.
This is certainly the best work I have seen from Billy Bob. When you watch this film and then watch a movie such as Mr. Woodcock is a drastic downturn and folly of such a talented man. I know this is supposed to be a dramatic film, and it does have some of that feel but I have a twisted view causing me to enjoy it as a comedy of sorts. I guess that when art imitates life, a broad spectrum of angles can be derived from the same work. The brilliance of this film is in the writing. There are no loop holes or unanswered questions when the film ends. The slow and calm nature dictates a focus on dialogue and the interaction of the actors. This is a film that transcends time and is a definite classic that will take the audience through a range of emotion.
Reviewed by Michael Albaugh
