Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade

Updated August 5, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

The oft-repeated line (intoned, of course, with the requisite jut-jaw grimace) from the Oscar-winning Sling Blade started as the title of this 25-minute, black-and-white short that later became the opening of the feature film. A reporter (Ringwald) visits a state hospital to interview a mildly retarded man (Thorton) who has killed his mother and her lover. Distinctly darker than its in-theater counterpart, the film also includes commentary from documentary-director Hickenlooper (whom Thornton bumped as director in favor of himself), Ringwald and others.