Sling Blade(1996)

Poster of Sling Blade

Synopsis

The tale of Karl Childers, a mildly retarded man faced with a complex moral dilemma. As a child, Karl was severely abused by his fanatically religious parents, who considered him a punishment from God. When he found his mother sexually entangled with the town bully, Karl believed their actions were wrong--and killed them, swiftly and brutally, with a sling blade. Now, against his will, Karl has been released from an asylum to return to society after twenty-five years. A gifted mechanic, Karl finds work in his small Southern hometown, where he meets young Frank Wheatley. Frank is the first person ever to accept him without fear or judgment; the two become instant friends, and Frank convinces his mother Linda to let Karl live with them. But there's trouble in the Wheatley home: Linda's abusive, narrow-minded boyfriend. Groping to reconcile his own simple moral code with everything he has been taught about right and wrong, Karl must decide whether to stand by and watch, or step in to protect Frank.
The tale of Karl Childers, a mildly retarded man faced with a complex moral dilemma. As a child, Karl was severely abused by his fanatically religious parents, who considered him a punishment from God. When he found …
Show Full Synopsis

In Theaters

  • November 27, 1996

MPAA Rating

R

Genres

Drama, Thriller

Run Time

2 hours 15 minutes

Distributors

Miramax Home Entertainment

Box Office

$24,475,416

Also Known As

  • Slingblade
  • Some Call It a Slingblade

Production Status

Released

Filming Locations

  • Arkansas, USA

Produced In

United States

Director

CAST

Billy Bob Thornton

Karl Childers

Dwight Yoakam

Doyle Hargraves

J.T. Walsh

Charles Bushman

John Ritter

Vaughn Cunningham

Lucas Black

Frank Wheatley

Natalie Canerday

Linda Wheatley
USER REVIEWS