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.

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.

Released theatrically in New York and Los Angeles November 22, 1996.

Directorial debut for actor/writer Billy Bob Thornton.

Produced by Shooting Gallery. Associate produced by Kingshill Group.

Color by CFI.

Shown at the Telluride Film Festival, August 30, 1996.

Shown at the New York Film Festival September 28 & 29, 1996.

Additional cast: Rick Dial (Bill Cox) and Christy Ward (Melinda).

Billy Bob Thornton and John Ritter co-starred on the sitcom "Hearts Afire."

The source of this movie is George Hickenlooper's short, "Some Call it a Sling Blade," which was essentially re-shot to become the opening scenes of this film.

DVD Features:

Region 1
Keep Case

Distributor Notes: Sling Blade Special Edition

The Miramax Collector's Series proudly presents the two-disc release of the powerful motion picture applauded by critics and moviegoers alike ... written, directed, and starring Billy Bob Thornton (1996 Academy Award(TM) Winner, Best Adapted Screenplay and Academy Award(R) Nominee, Best Actor). 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 new-found 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 (OPEN RANGE), John Ritter (BAD SANTA), and J.T. Walsh (BREAKDOWN) -- SLING BLADE is an unforgettable movie experience!

Source: Buena Vista Home Entertainment.

Billy Bob Thornton: Screenwriter/Actor
Lucas Black: Child actor - Sling Blade
Dwight Yoakam: C&W Singer
John Ritter: American Film and Television Actor, THREE'S COMPANY
Natalie Canerday: Actress - Sling Blade
Robert Duvall: American Actor/Director
Jim Jarmusch: American Director/Screenwriter

Billy Bob Thornton: Screenwriter/Actor

David L. Bushell: 
Brandon Rosser: 

Billy Bob Thornton: Screenwriter/Actor

Daniel Lanois: Music Composer/Producer

Hughes Winborne: Editor, CRASH (2005)

"...This is a film that wants us to be alert and it repays our attention handsomely..."
"...Riveting....SLING BLADE boasts a stupendous performance from Billy Bob Thornton..."
"...A beautiful contraption of a movie....[SLING BLADE] haunts us..." -- Rating: A-
"...Marked by some powerful scenes, fine performances and colorful dialogue....Yoakam is excellent..."
"...A mesmerizing parable of good and evil and a splendid example of Southern storytelling at its most poetic and imaginative..."
"...The movie is a work of great originality and fascination....[The] characters are brought to life with a vivid strength..."