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Sling Blade

A simple man... a difficult choice.

By turns mythic, biblical and darkly humorous, Sling Blade is the tale of Karl Childers (Billy Bob Thornton), a mildly retarded man faced with a complex moral dilemma. As a child, he was severely abused by fanatically religious parents, who believed him to be a punishment from God. One day, Karl found his mother sexually entangled with the town bully and, believing that what they were doing was wrong, killed them both swiftly and brutally with a sling blade. He was committed to an asylum for the criminally insane. Now, twenty-five years later, Karl is being released, against his will, to return to society. A gifted mechanic, Karl finds work as a repairman in his small Southern hometown. Soon after, he meets young Frank Wheatley (Lucas Black), the first person ever to accept him without fear or judgment. The two become instant friends, and Frank convinces his mother Linda (Natalie Canerday) to let Karl live with them. But there's a problem in the Wheatley home: Linda's boyfriend, Doyle Hargraves (Dwight Yoakam), an abusive, narrow-minded man who, with escalating violence, is moving further into the family's life. Linda's sole protector is her best friend, Vaughan Cunningham (John Ritter), a gay man trying to live a quiet life in the Bible Belt community. But Vaughan's homosexuality makes him a favorite target for Doyle's venom, and his efforts to help fall short. Karl knows that Doyle will manage to poison Frank's life, or worse, just as Karl's parents did to him. He gropes to reconcile his own simple moral code with everything he has been taught about right and wrong, and must decide whether to stand by and watch, or step in to protect the child. As the situation deteriorates, Karl tries to make peace with the terror of his own past, and confronts his father (Robert Duvall), now a decrepit old recluse. But his father simply denies that he has a son. This marks a turning point for Karl, who now clearly sees the futility of trying to reason with evil -- and decides he will find a way to help Frank no matter what the consequences.

"Two thumbs up!"  Siskel & Ebert
"Riveting!"  Rolling Stone
"Powerful..."  Los Angeles Times

Editor's Note

After catching his mother and her boyfriend "in flagrante delicto" and dispatching both of them with a farm implement known as a sling blade, a simpleminded 11-year-old boy is sent to a mental hospital where he spends the next 25 years. Upon his release, the emotionally and mentally stunted man-child returns to his Arkansas hometown and takes a job in a local garage, only to have the past inexorably repeat itself. An indie-film triumph, adapted by star-writer-director Thornton from his 1993 short, "Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade." Academy Award Nominations: 2, including Best Actor--Billy Bob Thornton. Academy Awards: Best Adapted Screenplay.

Plot Summary

Small-town simpleton Karl Childers has spent most of his life in a mental institution, after he killed his mother and her lover with the eponymous weapon at age 12. Now middle-aged, Karl is deemed healthy -- and released into a world he hasn't inhabited since he was a pre-teen. Although many of Karl's experiences in the "real world" are very troubling, they give him valuable insight into human nature... and himself. But can he completely escape his tragic past?| Academy Award Nominations: 2, including Best Actor--Billy Bob Thornton. Academy Awards: Best Adapted Screenplay.

Features

Now see for yourself -- the powerful motion picture applauded by critics and moviegoers alike, written, directed, and starring Billy Bob Thornton. Twenty five years after committing an unthinkable crime, a quiet man named Karl (Thornton) is finally returning home. Once there, he is befriended by a fatherless boy and his mother. But when his newfound peace is shattered by the mother's abusive boyfriend (Grammy-winner Dwight Yoakam), Karl is suddenly placed on a collision course with his past. Also featuring Robert Duvall, John Ritter, and J.T. Walsh, SLING BLADE is an unforgettable movie experience.

Source: Buena Vista Home Entertainment.

Technical Info

Release Information
	Studio: Buena Vista
	Release Date: 9/2/2003
	Running Time: 135 minutes
	Original Release Date: 1996
	Catalog ID: 10487
	UPC: 00786936033526
	Number of Discs: 1
Audio & Video
	Original Language: English
	Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English
	Video: Color

Cast & Crew

	Billy Bob Thornton
	Brent Briscoe
	Dwight Yoakam
	J.T. Walsh
	James Hampton
	John Ritter
	Lucas Black
	Natalie Canerday
	Rick Dial
	Robert Duvall
	Douglas Hall - Costume Designer
	Billy Bob Thornton - Director
	Barry Markowitz - Director of Photography
	Hughes Winborne - Editor
	Larry Meistrich - Executive Producer
	Daniel Lanois - Musical Score
	Brandon Rosser - Producer
	David L. Bushell - Producer
	Clark Hunter - Production Designer
	Billy Bob Thornton - Screenplay

Awards


Oscar (1997)
	Billy Bob Thornton, Winner, Best Writing, Screenplay Based On Material From Another Medium
	Billy Bob Thornton, Nominee, Best Actor