Karl Childers, a simple man hospitalized since his childhood murder of his mother and her lover, is released to start a new life in a small town.Karl Childers, a simple man hospitalized since his childhood murder of his mother and her lover, is released to start a new life in a small town.Karl Childers, a simple man hospitalized since his childhood murder of his mother and her lover, is released to start a new life in a small town.
- Won 1 Oscar
- 14 wins & 15 nominations total
Christine Renee Ward
- Melinda
- (as Christy Ward)
Bruce Hampton
- Morris
- (as Col. Bruce Hampton Ret.)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaBilly Wilder once told Billy Bob Thornton that he was "too ugly" to be an actor, and that he should write a screenplay for himself, where he could exploit his "less than perfect" features. After this movie launched Thornton's career, he publicly discussed his conversation with Wilder, which was at a cocktail party where he was working as a waiter. He got a call from Wilder, who invited him over to his house. Wilder said he didn't recall their conversation, but was glad that he heeded his advice. As a gift, Wilder gave Thornton a paperback copy of this movie's script with his autograph, and a personal message inscribed on it.
- GoofsWhen Karl is at the Frostee Cream, if you look at the menu, you can see Blizzard's, Peanut Buster's and a DQ Sandwich on the menu board which would indicate that the movie was filmed at a Dairy Queen.
- Crazy creditsThe opening credits start about 18 minutes into the film.
- Alternate versionsThe Director's Cut runs 12 minutes longer than the original theatrical releases.
- SoundtracksThe One I Love
(instrumental)
Written by Ali Jennings and Daniel Lanois
Performed by Ali Jennings
Courtesy of Daniel Lanois, Ali Jennings Songs/Socan, Daniel Lanois Songs/Socan
Featured review
No film in recent years has held me as spellbound as SLING BLADE, written by BILLY BOB THORNTON (for which he won an Oscar for Best Screenplay), and starring the actor in a memorable role for which he was Oscar nominated but failed to win.
He becomes the character with such truth--and such emotional underplaying--that he makes the whole story even more moving than it would have been with any other actor in the leading role. He plays a retarded man released from prison after serving twenty-five years for killing his mother and her lover with a sling blade. He felt morally justified because he saw their act of love as evil, only later realizing that it was wrong to kill them.
We follow his release, first accepted with kindness by a local repair shop where he reveals himself to be skilled at fixing motors, then received into the family of a boy he's befriended, played wonderfully by LUCAS BLACK. Unfortunately, the family life is ruined by a violently dysfunctional man called Doyle (DWIGHT YOAKAM) who is a crude bully and redneck full of bitter hatred and resenting the intrusion of Thornton and the boy and possessive in his relationship with the mother.
The biggest weakness in the screenplay is figuring out why the mother would ever be attracted by such a bigoted bully. Yoakam plays him in a ruthless manner that shows no compassion for the character and he's so evil that you have to wonder about the mother's mental faculties in letting him even near the family. It's also hard to believe that she would let the retired man use her garage for shelter on such short acquaintance with her son. But hey, this is a movie, this is the script, and that's it.
All of the acting is uniformly excellent, particularly BILLY BOB THORNTON, who was nominated and would have deserved the Oscar for his penetrating study of a retarded man without a single false note.
Tension builds because the viewer is aware that some sort of confrontation has to happen between Karl (Thornton) and Doyle. It's a matter of waiting to see what develops and that's what keeps the viewer hooked onto the story and wondering how it will conclude.
It's a fully realized slice of life, Southern style with hillbilly overtones, always centered on the main thrust of the story without ever losing its touch, rich in atmospheric detail. J.T. WALSH as a fellow inmate is impressive, as is JOHN RITTER (whom I didn't even recognize at first) as a sympathetic gay man, amazingly real in a serious role. ROBERT DUVALL has a cameo bit as an indifferent father that he plays faultlessly.
Summing up: Brilliant film, highly recommended and involving a very touching relationship between the small boy and the retarded man.
He becomes the character with such truth--and such emotional underplaying--that he makes the whole story even more moving than it would have been with any other actor in the leading role. He plays a retarded man released from prison after serving twenty-five years for killing his mother and her lover with a sling blade. He felt morally justified because he saw their act of love as evil, only later realizing that it was wrong to kill them.
We follow his release, first accepted with kindness by a local repair shop where he reveals himself to be skilled at fixing motors, then received into the family of a boy he's befriended, played wonderfully by LUCAS BLACK. Unfortunately, the family life is ruined by a violently dysfunctional man called Doyle (DWIGHT YOAKAM) who is a crude bully and redneck full of bitter hatred and resenting the intrusion of Thornton and the boy and possessive in his relationship with the mother.
The biggest weakness in the screenplay is figuring out why the mother would ever be attracted by such a bigoted bully. Yoakam plays him in a ruthless manner that shows no compassion for the character and he's so evil that you have to wonder about the mother's mental faculties in letting him even near the family. It's also hard to believe that she would let the retired man use her garage for shelter on such short acquaintance with her son. But hey, this is a movie, this is the script, and that's it.
All of the acting is uniformly excellent, particularly BILLY BOB THORNTON, who was nominated and would have deserved the Oscar for his penetrating study of a retarded man without a single false note.
Tension builds because the viewer is aware that some sort of confrontation has to happen between Karl (Thornton) and Doyle. It's a matter of waiting to see what develops and that's what keeps the viewer hooked onto the story and wondering how it will conclude.
It's a fully realized slice of life, Southern style with hillbilly overtones, always centered on the main thrust of the story without ever losing its touch, rich in atmospheric detail. J.T. WALSH as a fellow inmate is impressive, as is JOHN RITTER (whom I didn't even recognize at first) as a sympathetic gay man, amazingly real in a serious role. ROBERT DUVALL has a cameo bit as an indifferent father that he plays faultlessly.
Summing up: Brilliant film, highly recommended and involving a very touching relationship between the small boy and the retarded man.
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- Resplandor en la noche
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $1,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $24,444,121
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $28,139
- Dec 1, 1996
- Gross worldwide
- $24,444,121
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content