Billy Bob Thornton oversaw direction of Sling Blade.
Billy Bob Thornton . He appeared in several major film roles in the 1990s following Sling Blade , including Oliver Stone 's neo-noir U Turn ( 1997 ) , political drama Primary Colors ( 1998 ) , science fiction disaster film Armageddon ( 1998 ) , which was the highest-grossing film of that year , and the crime drama A Simple Plan ( 1998 ) , which earned him his third Academy Awards nomination . After Sling Blade , he directed several other films , including Daddy and Them ( 2001 ) , All the Pretty Horses ( 2000 ) , and Jayne Mansfield 's Car ( 2012 ) . Sling Blade is a 1996 American drama film set in rural Arkansas , written and directed by Billy Bob Thornton , who also stars in the lead role .