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Sling Blade

Play trailer Poster for Sling Blade R Released Aug 30, 1996 2h 16m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
97% Tomatometer 58 Reviews 92% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
Mentally disabled Karl Childers (Billy Bob Thornton) is released from the mental hospital where he has spent most of his life after murdering his mother and her lover. He soon forms a bond with Frank (Lucas Black), a boy whose father committed suicide. When Frank's mother, Linda (Natalie Canerday), lets Karl stay at their house, her cruel boyfriend, Doyle (Dwight Yoakam), tries to get Karl removed. Determined to protect his friend, Karl devises a way to save Frank from years of Doyle's abuse.
Sling Blade

What to Know

Critics Consensus

You will see what's coming, but the masterful performances, especially Thornton's, will leave you riveted.

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Critics Reviews

View All (58) Critics Reviews
Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly Rated: A- Sep 7, 2011 Full Review Susan Stark Detroit News Rated: 3/4 May 9, 2002 Full Review Rita Kempley Washington Post A masterpiece of Southern storytelling. Rated: 5/5 May 8, 2002 Full Review Rob Gonsalves Rob's Movie Vault "Sling Blade" has a dull side, but it also has an edge sharp enough to draw blood. Rated: B- Sep 1, 2022 Full Review Wesley Lovell Cinema Sight With one feature film, an underutilized character actor emerged from relative obscurity to become one of the hottest properties in Hollywood. Although his career has had ups and downs since, its clear that a strong voice in cinema arrived... Rated: 3.5/4 Feb 12, 2022 Full Review Matthew Rozsa matthewrozsa.com It is a full blooded story, rich in the best and worst of elements of the human condition, and one of the most satisfying cinematic experiences I've ever had. Rated: 4/4 Sep 27, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (1000+) audience reviews
Fer S Slow as hell. Great acting and cinematography, with a satisfactory ending, but not worth it in my opinion. Had it been a faster movie, it would have gotten a 4/5 from me. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 09/15/24 Full Review Mark M Great Cast. Great Story. Great Movie. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/29/24 Full Review Max H Excellent and very well done film. I’d even go as far as to call it a cinematic masterpiece. Be sure to follow my blog (maxholland93.blogspot.com) and subscribe to my YouTube channel (Maxthemetalkid). Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/24/24 Full Review Bryan M I watch it at least once a year. Probably my favorite movie ever. Top 5 for sure and I've seen just about everything. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/05/24 Full Review bao s Americana masterpiece. Southern Gothic is alive and well in 1996. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/06/24 Full Review John W A masterpiece of storytelling! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/09/24 Full Review Read all reviews
Sling Blade

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Cast & Crew

Sling Blade

Sling Blade: Official Clip - We All Gotta Get Along Sling Blade: Official Clip - We All Gotta Get Along 2:13 Sling Blade: Official Clip - Doyle Loses It Sling Blade: Official Clip - Doyle Loses It 2:12 Sling Blade: Official Clip - Band Poetry Sling Blade: Official Clip - Band Poetry 2:10 Sling Blade: Official Clip - We're Different Sling Blade: Official Clip - We're Different 2:04 Sling Blade: Official Clip - Welcome to Our Humble Home Sling Blade: Official Clip - Welcome to Our Humble Home 2:13 Sling Blade: Official Clip - Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade Sling Blade: Official Clip - Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade 2:11 Sling Blade: Official Clip - You Just a Boy Sling Blade: Official Clip - You Just a Boy 2:01 Sling Blade: Official Clip - I Aim to Kill You Sling Blade: Official Clip - I Aim to Kill You 2:13 Sling Blade: Official Clip - French Fried Potaters Sling Blade: Official Clip - French Fried Potaters 1:26 Sling Blade: Official Clip - You Will Be Happy Sling Blade: Official Clip - You Will Be Happy 2:05 View more videos
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Movie Info

Synopsis Mentally disabled Karl Childers (Billy Bob Thornton) is released from the mental hospital where he has spent most of his life after murdering his mother and her lover. He soon forms a bond with Frank (Lucas Black), a boy whose father committed suicide. When Frank's mother, Linda (Natalie Canerday), lets Karl stay at their house, her cruel boyfriend, Doyle (Dwight Yoakam), tries to get Karl removed. Determined to protect his friend, Karl devises a way to save Frank from years of Doyle's abuse.
Director
Billy Bob Thornton
Producer
David Bushell, Brandon Rosser
Screenwriter
Billy Bob Thornton
Distributor
Miramax Films
Production Co
Miramax
Rating
R
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 30, 1996, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 20, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$24.5M
Runtime
2h 16m
Sound Mix
Surround