Sling Blade

Hey, Sheriff.

A Mercury... is a real good car.

That was the car I was driving that day.

I have a lot of cars.

Yeah. Different kinds.

A lot of different kinds of cars.

She was standing, this girl,

where there was this chicken stand.

It wasn't the Colonel, but a chicken stand nevertheless.

I pulled the Mercury right up alongside,

and I rolled down the window, see, by electric power.

And she had this leather skirt on.

And she had a lot of hair on her arms.

I like that, I like that a lot. It means a big bush. I like a big bush.

So she says, "Are you dating?" You know?

I said, "Sure." So she gets in.

And we pull off into this remote location, you know,

that was comfortable for both she and I.

And she says to me, "How much do you wanna spend?"

I said, "Whatever it takes to see that bush, 'cause I know it's big."

And she says to me, "$25."

That's not chicken feed, you know, to a working man.

So I produce the $25

and she sticks it down into her shoe and pulls up her skirt.

And there before me lay this thin,

crooked, uncircumcised penis.

You can imagine how bad I wanted my $25 back.

I don't know why you're weirded out. This is not San Quentin.

It's a nuthouse. These people don't know where they are.

They're not gonna hurt you.

We're gonna be in a room with a killer. That doesn't bother you?

You're the one that wanted to major in journalism.

These are the people from that newspaper.

- Yeah. From the college? - Yes, sir.

- Jerry Woolridge. - Nice to meet you. I'm Marsha Dwiggins.

This is Theresa Evans. She's here to take the pictures.

Y'all sit down.

There was a young man named John Legit Hunter

who was in a good filling station business.

But he was one of these young men we run across, I'm sure you have,

who didn't deserve what he had.

And one of the things he had was this...

...beautiful young bride,

Sarah.

She was a Georgia peach.

In fact, she was more like the picture I had in my mind

than any woman I had ever seen.

So I took it upon myself to take her away from John Legit Hunter,

who did not deserve her, you know?

I don't know if I told you,

but he was a Frenchman who claimed to be an Englishman.

Took a lot of strong nylon cord to get her away from him,

'cause she was a fighter as well as being a Georgia peach.

I think there must have been a little mix-up.

I talked to your sponsor or teacher, or whoever he is,

and I told him that there couldn't be any pictures.

It's supposed to be an article or story, something like that, isn't that right?

Well, it's for the school newspaper, but it has pictures.

I mean, it's a regular paper.

Karl's real sensitive about having his picture made.

He wouldn't even be on the bulletin board for the Easter collage.

Now...

...a shovel just makes too goddamn much racket.

All I can do is talk to him, see what he says.

You gotta make something explode to truly understand it,

examine all those little tiny particles while they're still on fire.

Karl, I've gotta take you down to the old classroom.

Mr. Woolridge has some people for you to see down there.

Come on, let's go.

You remember me telling you about those people from that newspaper?

They wanna ask you some questions about your release.

They think it'll make a good story.

Will you talk to 'em? Get interviewed?

Now, they're women.

Think it'd be good for you, too.

You're gonna be seeing all kinds of people when you get on the outside.

This'll help, I believe.

Now, here's the thing. He'll only talk to you,

Now, here's the thing. He'll only talk to you,

but he doesn't want you to ask anything.

And you really shouldn't stare at him.

How am I going to interview if I can't ask questions?

It's the best it's gonna get. I'm sorry.

Can I ask you a question? If he's so troubled, why are you letting him out?

What if he does it again? It happens all the time.

He's free, his time's up. That's the rules.

He's been treated, re-evaluated and doesn't show any signs anymore.

- Signs? - Homicidal signs.

Miss. I'm sorry, but you're gonna have to step outside.

Why?

Please?

I gotta change the light in here for Karl.

I hope you can still see to write.

I reckon what you is wanting to know is what I'm a-doin' in here.

I reckon the reason I'm in here is 'cause I've killed somebody.

I reckon what you is a-wantin' to know is how come me to kill somebody,

so I reckon I'll start at the front and tell you.

I lived out back of my mother and father's place most of my life,

in a little old shed that my daddy had built for me.

They didn't want me up there in the house with the rest of 'em.

So mostly, I just sat around out there in the shed, a-lookin' at the ground.

I didn't have no floor out there.

But I had me a hole dug out to lay down in.

A quilt or two to put down there.

My father was a hardworking man most of his life.

Not that I can say the same for myself.

I mostly sat around out there in the shed,

tinkered around with a lawn mower or two.

Went to school off and on from time to time.

But the children out there, they were very cruel to me.

Made quite a bit of sport of me. Made fun of me quite a bit.

So mostly, I just sat around out there in the shed.

My daddy worked down there at the saw mill,

down at the planer mill for an old man named Dixon.

Old man Dixon was a very cruel fella.

Didn't treat his employees well. Didn't pay 'em much of a wage.

Didn't pay my daddy too much of a wage.

Just barely enough to get by on, I reckon.

But I reckon he got by all right.

They used to come out, one or the other of 'em,

usually my mother,

feed me pretty regular.

I know he made enough where I could have

mustard and biscuits three or four times a week.

But old man Dixon, he had a boy.

His name was Jesse Dixon.

Jesse was really more cruel than his daddy was.

He used to make quite a bit of sport of me

when I was down there at the schoolhouse.

He used to take advantage of little girls there in the neighborhood an' all.

He used to say that my mother was a very pretty woman.

He said that quite a bit from time to time

when I'd be down there at the schoolhouse.

Well... I reckon you want me to get on with it

and tell you what happened, so I reckon I'll tell you.

I was sittin' out in the shed one evening, not doing too much,

just kindly staring at the wall,

waiting on my mother to come out and give me my Bible lesson.

Well, I heard a commotion up there in the house.

So I run up on the screened-in porch to see what was a-goin' on.

I looked in the window and seen my mother on the floor,

without any clothes on.

I seen Jesse Dixon a-layin' on top of her.

He was having his way with her.

Well, I just seen red.

I picked up a Kaiser blade that was sitting there by the screen door.

Some folks call it a sling blade, I call it a Kaiser blade.

It's kindly a long wood handle, kind of like an axe handle.

With a long blade on it shaped kind of like a banana.

Sharp on one edge and dull on the other.

It's what the highway boys use to cut down weeds and whatnot.

Well, I went in there in the house,

and I hit Jesse Dixon upside the head with it,

knocked him off my mother.

I reckon that didn't quite satisfy me.

So I hit him again with it in the neck with the sharp edge

and just plumb near cut his head off, killed him.

My mother she jumped up and started hollerin',

"What did you kill Jesse for? What did you kill Jesse for?" Well...

...come to find out I don't reckon my mother minded

what Jesse was a-doin' to her.

I reckon that made me madder than what Jesse had made me.

So I taken the Kaiser blade,

some folks call it a sling blade, I call it a Kaiser blade,

and I hit my mother upside the head with it.

Killed her.

Some folks has asked me,

"If you had it to do over again, would you do it the same way?"

Well, I reckon I would.

Anyhow, they seen fit to put me in here,

and here I've been for a great long while.

I've learned to read some.

Took me four years to read the Bible.

I reckon I understand a great deal of it.

Wasn't what I expected in some places.

I've slept in a good bed for a great long while.

Now they've seen fit to put me out of here.

They say they're setting me free today.

Anyhow, I reckon that's all you'd need to know.

You wanna hear about more details, I reckon I can tell 'em to you.

I don't know whether or not that's enough for your newspaper or not.

Will you ever kill anybody again, Karl?

I don't reckon I've got no reason to kill nobody.

- Where will he go? - Anywhere he wants to.

Back to Millsberg, where he's from.

- It's just about 20 miles from here. - Will he be supervised?

As much as anybody else is, I guess.

Y'all have a real nice rest of the day, now.

I'll get Melvin to walk y'all out.

Melvin, could you walk these girls out, please?

Thank you.

Thank you.

I reckon I'm gonna have to get used to looking at purdy people.

I guess you will.

I reckon I'm gonna have to get used to them looking at me, too.

Better go get your things.

I ain't got nothing but them books.

Better go get 'em.

All right, then.

All right, then.