Sling Blade

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 mentally impaired man 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. In addition to Thornton, it stars Dwight Yoakam, J. T. Walsh, Jo... More

Initial release date:

  • Aug 30, 1996

Directed by:

Rating:

R (USA)

Runtime:

  • 2 h 15 min

Screenplay by:

Also known as:

  • Sling Blade,
  • Resplandor en la noche

Film

Directed by

Billy Bob Thornton

Billy Bob Thornton (born August 4, 1955) is an American actor, screenwriter, director and musician. Thornton gained early recognition as a cast member on the CBS sitcom Hearts Afire and in several early 1990s films including On Deadly Ground and Tombstone. In the mid-1990s, after writing, directing...

Tagline:

  • A simple man. A difficult choice.
  • Sometimes a hero comes from the most unlikely place.

Executive produced by:

Cinematography:

Edited by:

Release date(s):

Film release region Release Date Film release distribution medium
  • 1996
  • Nov 27, 1996
  • Jan 1, 1998
  • Feb 4, 1998
View entire collection »

Casting director:

Production design by:

Set Decoration by:

Costume design by:

Music by:

Runtime:

Runtime Film cut
  • 2 h 15 min
  • 2 h 28 min
View Sling Blade: Runtime »

Languages:

Country of origin:

Notable filming locations:

Estimated budget:

Currency Amount
  • 1,000,000

Soundtrack:

Distributors:

top ↑

Awards

Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature Nominees

Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature Winners

Appears in ranked lists:

List Rank Note
  • 185
  • 541
  • 7.0
View entire collection »

Metacritic Top Films

top ↑

Media

Adapted From

Some Folks Call it a Sling Blade

"Some Folks Call it a Sling Blade" is a short film directed by George Hickenlooper and starring Billy Bob Thornton, Molly Ringwald, and J. T. Walsh. It was adapted into the feature film Sling Blade, also starring Thornton, that was critically acclaimed and won Thornton the Academy Award for Best...

top ↑

Facts from the Community

From the Great Films base

Appears in ranked lists:

List Ranking
  • 185
top ↑

These people have edited this topic:

Edit this topic
Edit and Show details

Add or delete facts, download data in JSON or RDF formats, and explore topic metadata.

Freebase Logo
What is Freebase?

Freebase is a huge collection of facts, built by people like you. Freebase connects facts in ways other sites can't, giving you new ways to explore millions of subjects.
You can help improve it!