Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade

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Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade
Directed by George Hickenlooper
Written by Billy Bob Thornton
Produced by George Hickenlooper
Starring Billy Bob Thornton
Molly Ringwald
J. T. Walsh
Cinematography Kent L. Wakeford
Edited byHenny Bouwmeester
George Hickenlooper
Music byBill Boll
Release date
1994
Running time
29 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade is a 1994 short film written by Billy Bob Thornton, directed by George Hickenlooper and starring Thornton, Molly Ringwald, and J. T. Walsh. [1]

Contents

It was adapted into the 1996 feature film Sling Blade , also starring Thornton, [2] which won Thornton the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, as well as a nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role. [3]

Overview

Thornton plays Karl Childers, an intellectually disabled man who has been in a mental hospital for the past 25 years for murdering his mother and her lover. On the day of his release, he is interviewed by a reporter, Theresa Tatum (Molly Ringwald), who is writing an article with the intent of examining whether criminals judged to be insane should be released. Before the interview, Tatum is of the opinion that criminals like Karl should never be released. During the interview, however, Tatum must question her previous beliefs.

The title of the film comes from Karl's description of the murders. He admits to committing murder with a kaiser blade: "Some folks call it a sling blade, I call it a Kaiser blade."

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References

  1. Deming, Mark (2007). "Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . Archived from the original on December 5, 2007.
  2. Maslin, Janet (September 30, 1996). "Sling Blade (1996) Rejoining A World Left Behind". The New York Times . Archived from the original on March 9, 2015.
  3. Marx, Rebecca Flint. "Billy Bob Thornton". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . Archived from the original on September 10, 2013.