Sling Blade (1996)

Karl Childers, a simple man hospitalized since his childhood murder of his mother and her lover, is released to start a new life in a small town.

Director:

Billy Bob Thornton

Writers:

Billy Bob Thornton (play), Billy Bob Thornton (screenplay)

Stars:

Billy Bob Thornton, Dwight Yoakam, J.T. Walsh

Won 1 Oscar. Another 13 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Billy Bob Thornton	...	Karl Childers
Dwight Yoakam	...	Doyle Hargraves
J.T. Walsh	...	Charles Bushman
John Ritter	...	Vaughan Cunningham
Lucas Black	...	Frank Wheatley
Natalie Canerday	...	Linda Wheatley
James Hampton	...	Jerry Woolridge
Robert Duvall	...	Karl's Father
Rick Dial	...	Bill Cox
Brent Briscoe	...	Scooter Hodges
Christine Renee Ward	...	Melinda (as Christy Ward)
Sarah Boss	...	Marsha Dwiggins
Kathy Sue Brown	...	Theresa Evans
Wendell Rafferty	...	Melvin
Bruce Hampton	...	Morris (as Col. Bruce Hampton Ret.)

Storyline

A partially handicapped man named Karl is released from a mental hospital, about 20 years after murdering his mother and another person. Karl is often questioned if he will ever kill again, and he shrugs in response saying there is no reason to. Now out of the mental institution, Karl settles in his old, small hometown, occupying himself by fixing motors. After meeting a young boy named Frank, who befriends him, Karl is invited to stay at Frank's house with his mother Linda, who views Karl as a strange but kind and generous man. However, Linda's abusive boyfriend, Doyle, sees things differently in the way rules ought to be run- normally insulting Linda's homosexual friend Vaughan as well as Karl's disabilities, and having wild parties with his friends. As Karl's relationship with Frank grows, he is watchful of Doyle's cruel actions.

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Plot Keywords:

mental institution | small town | neo noir | sadistic psychopath | tragedy | 

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Taglines:

Sometimes a hero comes from the most unlikely place.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong language, including descriptions of violent and sexual behavior

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 March 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Resplandor en la noche

Filming Locations:

Benton, Arkansas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$890,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$36,644, 1 December 1996

Gross USA:

$24,475,416, 27 July 1997

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax,Shooting Gallery

Technical Specs

Runtime:

135 min 148 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to Billy Bob Thornton, in a February 7, 1997 interview on The Howard Stern Show, Karl living behind a shed, is based on a boy where he grew up, who could not walk or talk very well, so his parents kept him in the shed. Billy says the story is that the boy's mother was scared by a snake when she was pregnant, so they felt he was like a child of the devil. They kept him locked up and fed him like a dog. It turned out the boy had polio.

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Goofs

Frank goes down to the lake with Karl wearing blue dungarees. In the first shot, the buckle on his left shoulder is on top of his shoulder blade. Down by the lake, it's moved to much further back.

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Quotes

Mrs. Woolridge: Karl, I hear Jerry's taking you somewhere else tomorrow.
Karl: I don't reckon I know nobody named Jerry.
Dr. Jerry Woolridge: She's talking about me, Karl, that's my first name.
Karl: He's carrying me to look for work over in Millsburg where I's borned.

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Crazy Credits

Dedicated to Jimmy Don Thornton

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Connections

Referenced in I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell (2009)

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Soundtracks

The One I Love
(instrumental)
Written by Ali Jennings and Daniel Lanois
Performed by Ali Jennings
Courtesy of Daniel Lanois, Ali Jennings Songs/Socan, Daniel Lanois Songs/Socan

User Reviews

Absolutely Amazing!

I can't believe it took me so long to finally see this movie and I must admit I had never seen any work by Billy Bob Thornton. Without a doubt, Sling Blade is one of the finest pieces of work ever put on film. Billy Bob's performance as Karl Childers is absolutely riveting! I found myself completely fascinated by this character. The entire ensemble of characters are superbly cast. The child actor who plays Frank is talented beyond his years. This story unfolds in many layers, with friendship and love woven between bigotry and cruelty. It begins with a somewhat horrible description of the double murder of Karl's mother and her lover, but yet is tastefully done with words, no cheap views of blood and gore. It shows how the lack of parental love and understanding can form an individual, but also how the human heart can still have the capacity to be open, as in the relationship between Karl and Frank. You'll feel completely drawn into this little family with its pain and problems.

This is a masterpiece of superb acting, writing and directing! If you haven't seen it yet, please don't deny yourself the opportunity of viewing one of the most amazingly touching movies you will ever see. Even in the company of great performances by Tom Hanks and Dustin Hoffman, I think Sling Blade leaves Forrest Gump and Rain Man in the dust!