Karl Childers
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Karl Childers is the central character in the movie Sling Blade and the short film Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade, portrayed in both by Billy Bob Thornton, who also wrote the screenplays.
Karl, who is mentally retarded, is released from a psychiatric hospital where he has been hospitalized since the age of 12 for the murder of his mother and her lover, Jesse Dixon. He returns to his childhood town in Arkansas and obtains a job repairing small motors at Bill Cox's repair shop. Karl befriends a young boy, Frank, and is soon invited by Frank's mother, Linda, to move into the family's garage.
As a strong relationship develops between Karl and Frank, a confrontation builds with Linda's abusive and sometimes violent boyfriend Doyle (Dwight Yoakam). Karl eventually kills Doyle with a lawnmower blade.
