Billy Bob Thornton writes, directs and stars in “Sling Blade” (1996), an independent drama that put him on the map and paved the way for him becoming a bona fide movie star. He won an Academy Award for the best adapted screenplay, and was also nominated in the best actor category. The film, based on a script for a short film written earlier by Billy Bob Thornton, tells the tale of Karl Childers (Thornton), an intellectually disabled man from Arkansas. Karl has been incarcerated in a mental hospital since the age of 12, after killing his mother and her boyfriend. Upon his release, Karl gets a job in a small engine repair shop and soon he befriends 12 year old Frank Wheatly. Frank's mother Linda and her gay friend Vaughn are sympathetic towards Karl, and Linda lets him move into her garage, much to the chagrin of her abusive, alcoholic boyfriend Doyle. Karl visits his father, who has become mentally unbalanced and is living a secluded life, which brings back old ghosts from the past. Doyle grows more aggressive towards Karl and Frank with each passing day, and after one heated argument Linda kicks him out of the house. When Doyle returns the next day with Linda's approval and begins to flex his muscles around the house, Karl reaches a conclusion that some drastic, dramatic measures will have to be taken so that Frank would have a chance for a normal life.
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