how much of the film was based on the real events?I know that a boy (in Tennessee, I believe) killed two intruders and was subsequently lionized. Gun advocates paraded him as an example of the value -- indeed the necessity -- of keeping weapons in the household.But what was the real boy's reaction to his sudden fame? What became of him afterward? I am sure the latter part of the film (especially the bizarre confrontation with the surviving burglars who expressed their rage by driving through the property and knocking down fences, making no attempt to injure the boy who was an easy target) was pure fiction. But what were the facts of his subsequent life?

In the process of ripping off a home, a gang of thugs come upon the homeowner's terrified child. After a big shoot-out the boy is left deeply traumatized. Unable to communicate his feelings, things rapidly go from bad to worse as his father is unable to see his son as anything but a hero; an attitude which is slowly driving his son crazy with guilt and shame. During a final showdown with the same gang of thieves, the child must resolve his intense emotions or die trying. Good film.