Karl Childers, a mentally disabled man, has been in the custody of the state mental hospital since the age of 12 for killing his mother and her lover. Although thoroughly institutionalized, he is deemed fit to be released into the outside world.
"A simple man. A difficult choice."
Top Billed Cast
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
Detailed Critic & Audience Reviews
W WuchakVerified TMDB Critic
2019-12-31
***When a murderer is the likable protagonist, mmm-hmm***
A simple, slow, seemingly pensive man (Billy Bob Thornton) is released from a mental hospital in central Arkansas after 30 years and gets a job fixing lawnmowers. He makes friends with a boy & his mother (Natalie Canerday) and they let him live in their garage, but the mother’s abusive boyfriend presents a problem (Dwight Yoakam). John Ritter is on hand as the mother’s gay best friend.
"Sling Blade" (1996) is a small town drama with a memorable central character (if I didn’t know beforehand that Thornton played the role, I ...
F Filipe Manuel NetoVerified TMDB Critic
2024-04-14
**A film full of challenges, to which Billy Bob Thornton, in his greatest work, responded categorically.**
I didn't really know what I was going to find when I decided to watch this film, and I'm happy about that: it's a really good, convincing and moving story, which doesn't try to escape the harsh reality of things to create unbelievable heroes. And it is probably the most solid and significant work of Billy Bob Thornton's career. In fact, he not only plays the main role, but is also responsible for the script and direction. It is a labor of love, of total and absolute commitment, which m...
