Sling Blade (1996)

Wikipedia

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. It tells the story of a man with a developmental disability named Karl Childers who is released from a psychiatric hospital, where he has lived since killing his mother and her lover when he was 12 years old, and the friendship he develops with a young boy.

Intellectual disability (ID), also called intellectual development disorder (IDD) or general learning disability (UK and Ireland), and formerly known as mental retardation (MR), is a generalized neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significantly impaired intellectual and adaptive functioning.

In the movie Sling Blade, main character Karl Childers (portrayed by Billy Bob Thornton) recounts an incident from his childhood in which he killed his mother and her boyfriend with this tool.

As an influential actor, Thornton is known for his diversity, wide range, and prolificacy, appearing in at least one film per year nearly every year since 1991.

The Washington Post called it a "masterpiece of Southern storytelling."

Sling Blade (1/12) Movie CLIP - Mercury Is a Real Good Car (1996) HD

Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade - Sling Blade (2/12) Movie CLIP (1996) HD

Karl continues, saying that he killed the man because he thought he was raping his mother. When he discovered that his mother was a willing participant in the affair, he killed her also.

Sling Blade (3/12) Movie CLIP - French Fried Potaters (1996) HD

Sling Blade (4/12) Movie CLIP - You Just a Boy (1996) HD

Karl shares with Frank some of the details of his past, including the killings. Frank reveals that his father was killed - hit by a train - leaving him and his mother on their own - he later admits that he lied, and that his father committed suicide.

Sling Blade (5/12) Movie CLIP - Welcome to Our Humble Home (1996) HD

Sling Blade (6/12) Movie CLIP - We're Different (1996) HD

In an early scene, Vaughan tells Karl that a gay man and a mentally challenged man face similar obstacles of intolerance and ridicule in small-town America.

Sling Blade (7/12) Movie CLIP - Band Poetry (1996) HD

Sling Blade (8/12) Movie CLIP - Doyle Loses It (1996) HD

Meanwhile, Doyle becomes increasingly abusive towards Karl and Frank, leading to an eventual drunken outburst and physical confrontation with Linda and Frank. Linda then subsequently kicks Doyle out of the house (despite his threats to kill her if she ever left him).

Sling Blade (9/12) Movie CLIP - We All Gotta Get Along (1996) HD

Sling Blade (10/12) Movie CLIP - Ain't Got No Boy (1996) HD

Sling Blade (11/12) Movie CLIP - You Will Be Happy (1996) HD

Sling Blade (12/12) Movie CLIP - I Aim to Kill You (1996) HD

When confronted, Doyle asks what Karl is doing with the lawnmower blade he had sharpened and fashioned into a weapon which he was carrying. Karl replies, "I aim to kill you with it." After Karl asks Doyle how to reach the police by phone, Doyle says Karl should request "an ambulance, or a 'hearst'". Then Karl kills Doyle with two chopping blows of the lawnmower blade to the head. Karl then calls the police to turn himself in, and requests a "hearst" be sent for Doyle. He then eats mustard and biscuits while waiting for the police.