Great Character: Karl Childers (“Sling Blade”)

In the 1996 movie Sling Blade (written and directed by Billy Bob Thornton), the story’s Protagonist is a remarkable character named Karl Childers, also played by Thornton:

Here is a plot synopsis per IMDB:

A partially handicapped man named Karl is released from a mental hospital, about 20 years after murdering his mother and another person. Karl is often questioned if he will ever kill again, and he shrugs in response saying there is no reason to. Now out of the mental institution, Karl settles in his old, small hometown, occupying himself by fixing motors. After meeting a young boy named Frank who befriends him, Karl is invited to stay at Frank’s house with his mother Linda, who views Karl as a strange but kind and generous man. However, Linda’s abusive boyfriend Doyle, sees things differently in the way rules ought to be run — normally insulting Linda’s homosexual friend Vaughan as well as Karl’s disabilities, and having wild parties with his friends. As Karl’s relation with Frank grows, he is ever so watchful of Doyle’s cruel actions.

It’s that murderous background and the looming potential for violence that hangs over the entire story like a shadow, providing an almost inevitable sense of where the plot is headed. And yet, Karl’s character retains his steadfast goodness, that dynamic underscored by the meaningful relationship Karl develops with young Frank:

There are so many powerful moments in the movie, but this one has always stuck with me:

Frank Childers: I told you I ain’t got no boy, now why don’t you get on outta here and let me be. You ain’t no kin to me.
Karl: [after a pause] I learned to read some. I read the Bible quite a bit. I can’t understand all of it, but I reckon I understand a good deal of it. Them stories you and Mama told me ain’t in there. You ought not done that to your boy. I studied on killing you. Studied on it quite a bit. But I reckon there ain’t no need for it if all you’re gonna do is sit there in that chair. You’ll be dead soon enough and the world ‘ll be shut of ya. You ought not killed my little brother, he should’ve had a chance to grow up. He woulda had fun some time.

The story’s Final Struggle is a testament to the idea of righteousness.

The movie was adapted from a short film called “Some Folks Call It A Sling Blade” which was directed by George Hickenlooper, who sadly just recently died. Here is the movie:

Karl Childers: A simple man thrust into a complex situation who ends up taking matters into his own hands in a way he could understand. As a result, he stands the test of time as a Great Character.

[Originally posted November 12, 2010]