FREE: Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade Starring Billy Bob Thornton, Molly Ringwald, J.T. Walsh (2002)

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Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade is the short film on which Billy Bob Thornton based Sling Blade (and the reason Thornton was awarded the best adapted--not best original--screenplay). The film is essentially the opening scenes of Sling Blade, in which Thornton's character, Karl Childers, is shown about to leave the mental hospital, intoning his account of his youthful crime to a naive reporter writing about his release. While the screenplay here is virtually the same as the corresponding part of the longer film, this film leaves a lingering chilling feeling. Unlike Sling Blade, which allows the audience to see Karl's innate goodness, this version ends at the end of the interview, when the reporter (here played by Molly Ringwald) is left stunned at the horrors she's just heard, and she (and the audience) have no real idea if Karl is someone who should be turned loose or not. Fans of Sling Blade owe it to themselves to see this version, too--focusing on its far darker sensibility adds to the appreciation of the work it would later become. (Historic footnote: unlike Sling Blade, Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade was directed by George Hickenlooper, codirector of the acclaimed documentary Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse, who was none too happy when the media attention over Sling Blade virtually ignored his contributions to the original film.) --Anne Hurley
Product Description
Billy Bob Thornton, Molly Ringwald. A young reporter fights an over-zealous bureaucrat for the chance to come face to face with a contrite murderer on the verge of release. This highly acclaimed short feature caused a sensation at film festivals around the world, and includes a candid, behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film. Also the inspiration for the 1996 Oscar-nominated feature film, Sling Blade. 1994/color/78 min/NR.