Characters and Story
Thornton plays Karl Childers, a mentally retarded 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 her 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 Childers should never be released. During the interview, however, Tatum must question her previous beliefs in this matter.
The title of the film comes from Childers' 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".
Read more about this topic: Some Folks Call It A Sling Blade
Famous quotes containing the words characters and/or story:
“Waxed-fleshed out-patients
Still vague from accidents,
And characters in long coats
Deep in the litter-baskets
All dodging the toad work
By being stupid or weak.”
—Philip Larkin (1922–1986)
“... there is ... a big aspect of play in writing novels, and making the story more and more elaborate is just more and more fun.”
—Gish Jen (b. 1956)