5 Best Billy Bob Thornton Movies & Shows to Watch Before Landman Season 2

Billy Bob Thornton has been recently garnering attention while on screen in Taylor Sheridan ’s Western-y hit show Landman for Paramount+, though the actor has had a career span not many realise is that grand.

Having starred in plenty of successful shows and movies, Thornton made it to becoming an Oscar nominee and the owner of 2 Golden Globes, at some point also turning to music and dropping 4 solo albums while remaining the lead of the rock band The Boxmasters.

With the actor now set to return to Tommy Norris’ role in Landman’s upcoming second season, it might be the best time for the show’s fans to take a closer look at Thornton’s other works while we still have to wait until Landman’s new episodes land on Paramount+.

Sling Blade (1996)

Before this movie came along, Thornton already starred in a bunch of quite prominent projects, but Sling Blade was the moment when his career skyrocketed.

Written and directed by Thornton, the film also stars the latter as intellectually challenged Karl Childers who spent many years locked up in a psychiatric hospital after he had killed his mother and her lover when he was just 12 years old. Upon his release into free life, Karl befriends 12-year-old Frank Wheatley and his mother.

Sling Blade was an instant massive hit and brought Thornton his first Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. The movie is available for watching on Prime Video.

A Simple Plan (1998)

Directed by Sam Raimi, A Simple Plan sees Billy Bob Thornton as Jacob Mitchell who, alongside his brother Hank and the latter’s wife Sarah, discovers a crashed plane that carried more than $4 million in cash.

Without much doubt, the trio decides to keep the money, making it their big secret, but soon suspicions start prevailing, resulting in the characters losing their trust for each other and eventually leading to lies and murder.

The crime thriller was a box office flop, but still gained universal recognition and secured a Best Supporting Actor nomination for Thornton. A Simple Plan is streaming on Prime Video.

One False Move (1992)

Starring and written by Thornton, One False Move is a low-budget crime thriller, with the plot revolving around three criminals who set up a chain of murders in Los Angeles before fleeing to Houston where they also intend to sell drugs.

The movie was initially supposed to have a direct home video release, but somehow became popular even before premiering, eventually persuading the distributor to give One False Move a chance for theatrical release. It’s now available for watching on Apple TV+.

Bad Santa (2003)

A Christmas black comedy produced by the Coen brothers, Bad Santa stars Billy Bob Thornton as Willie T. Soke, a professional thief who, by disguising himself as Santa Claus every Christmas Eve, gets a job at a shopping mall and empties the shelves without anyone noticing.

With time, Willie gets sick and tired of the same theft scenario until he befriends a gullible boy who thwarts all of his plans.

Bad Santa had great success with both critics and viewers praising Thornton’s performance and a compelling story. The movie is streaming on Prime Video.

Fargo ( 2014 — )

Inspired by a 1996 movie of the same name, Fargo is a crime drama anthology that spans a new story with its every season.

The series starred Thornton as hitman Lorne Malvo in the first season, with the actor delivering a performance so compelling that it eventually brought him a Golden Globe Award and several more prestigious nominations, including one for a Primetime Emmy Award.

Fargo’s all seasons can be found on Prime Video.