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Plot: Using interviews and re-enactments, the film examines the 1976 murder of a Dallas policeman, and the wrongful conviction of one of the two men implicated in the killing.
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Recent Reviews
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MCT:October 3, 2008Although it is understandable that many may dismiss this as a formulaic 'talking head' documentary, this film is one of the best of its ilk. The noir style re-enactments illustrate the vagueness of witness accounts appropriately and complement the tone perfectly. This film is testament to Morris? directorial finesse. Morris? exceptional technique results in a well paced film that is equally engaging whether or not you are familiar with the background of the case. The Thin Blue Line is a great film of cultural and historical significance.
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MCT:September 3, 2008
pretty ordinary talking head documentary. The film examines a wrongfully convicted man and the incident that led to it. It visualizes the event through noir-ish reenactments. I would have like it more to explore the criminal justice system. I guess the only way to tackle this subject is through the talking heads method, and for its kind it's not too bad.
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MCT:March 18, 2008One of the most interesting documentaries I have seen. Morris has created what is essentially a non-fiction "film noir" that plays exceptionally well, in no small part because it's a real-world case. The usual interviews are here (sans narration, a brilliant move), and Phillip Glass' wonderful minimalist score adds greatly to the mood and drama of the enfolding story, but the technique that really grabs your attention is the use of reenactments that change depending upon whose point of view is being presented. Morris' background as a detective is very evident in this excellent work, and it serves him well. A must-see documentary, even if only for the fact that it's one of the few that ever truly resulted in real-world action (its subject was freed from prison and was never re-tried due to the massive reasonable doubt this film presented). Highly recommended.
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MCT:February 8, 2008
Morris cemented his place as one of the greatest documentarians of all time with this amazing work that actually got a man freed from prison. Must see.
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MCT:January 7, 2008
Eroll Morris is a master and this is his Pièce de résistance.
There are not many movies that have freed someone from prison. -
MCT:November 30, 2007
This movie is cool because after it was made, the accused man in the documentary was found innocent due to this film. Errol Morris is my son. However, it's not something you end up watching over and over.
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MCT:November 20, 2007
One of the most moving documentaries every filmed. Errol Morris leaves all other documentarians in the dust.
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MCT:October 25, 2007
I thought this movie was really interesting. The interviews really make the movie. If you don't know the story beforehand, it throws you for a loop and you're not sure who is innocent.
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MCT:July 26, 2007
A powerful documentary which aided in the release of a man wrongfully convicted of murder- Errol Morris deserves a medal for doing what the Texas justice system could not do... finding the guilty party.
Watching this well structured documentary on video in 1989 forever changed my feelings about the death penalty. Just knowing an innocent man was convicted, sentenced to death and spent 13 years of his life in prison was enough for me to know there are serious flaws within the justice system in the state of Texas. If it could happen there, could it happen anywhere in the United States? The abundance of evidence shown in this film makes one wonder what if this happened to me or someone I love? How do you prove your innocence.?? Randall Dale Adams found himself in just this situation. If you have any interest in the workings of the justice system and/or the death penalty, you would do well to rent this DVD. The book, Adams vs. Texas, authored by Randall Dale Adams, William Hoffer and Marilyn Mona Hoffer sheds even more light on the plight of Mr. Adams. -
MCT:July 10, 2007
This well executed documentary replays the events involving a drifter accused of murdering a police officer. The only problem was that the obvious culprit is not the one who was arrested. Errol Morris created this well paced doc that was responsible for freeing the wrongly accused man. Morris is truly a genius at what he does and has greatly influenced the genre. This movie has a point but it doesn't make it forcefully. It simply presents the (overwhelming) evidence and let's the viewer make up their mind. The event of this film are tragic because they show a failure of the American justice system and the immorality of the death penalty.
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MCT:June 27, 2007
In the past year, I discovered and fell in love with Errol Morris' work. In my opinion, this is one of the greatest documentaries ever made.
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MCT:June 9, 2007
Not only is this one of the greatest documentaries ever produced but in saving Randall Dale Adams from the chair, it represents one of the most admirable uses of the film medium (Shoah and Born Into Brothels also come to mind). Anyone who has spent time in jail on bogus, trumped-up charges can sympathize with Adams who spent 11 years behind bars on death row while David Harris, who confessed to his friends that he killed a Dallas cop (and ostensibly to Errol Morris at the end of the film), was free to kill again. If you were upset by the verdict in the OJ murder trial, wait until you see this gem.
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MCT:May 25, 2007
Not quite as impressive as The Fog of War, largely because of its incredibly large cast of social actors, but still one of Errol Morris' finest. Combining traditional documentary stylings with elements of film noir and courtroom fiction, Morris proves himself to be a master of non-fiction storytelling. The last scene of the film, showing nothing but a tape recorder playing the last interview that was conducted with killer David Harris rivals David Fincher in its ability to chill audiences to the marrow. Ultimately, both The Thin Blue Line and The Fog of War prove Errol Morris to be a master in artistic documentary film making and act as proof that the fine line between truth and what we are told is often not even there.
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MCT:May 23, 2007
This is a extremely well made and powerful documentary that captivates the viewer from the beginning to the end. The direction on both the interviews and re-enactments are superbly done. If you love docos than this is a definite must see!
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MCT:April 10, 2007
Errol Morris's unique documentary dramatically re-enacts the crime scene and investigation of a police officer's murder in Dallas. Briefly, a drifter (Randall Adams) ran out of gas in Texas and was picked up by a 16-year-old runaway (David Harris). Later that night, they drank some beer, smoked some marijuana, and went to the movies. Then, their stories diverge. Adams claims that he left for his motel, where he was staying with his brother, and went to sleep. Harris, however, says that they were stopped by police late that night and Adams suddenly shot the officer approaching their car. The film shows the audience the evidence gathered by the police, who were under extreme pressure to clear the case. It strongly makes a point that the circumstantial evidence was very flimsy. In fact, it becomes apparent that Harris was a much more likely suspect and was in the middle of a 'crime spree,' eventually ending up on Death Row himself for the later commission of other crimes. Morris implies that the D.A.'s and judge's desire for the death penalty in this case (which Harris would have been inelegible for, due to his youth), made Adams a scapegoat on which to pin this heinous crime.
Morris spent 2 1/2 years tracking down the various players in the Randall Adams case and convincing them to appear in the film. -
MCT:March 21, 2007
True story based on a miscarriage of justice. Haunting, chilling and moving...quite simply one of the most important films I've ever seen.
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MCT:December 30, 2006
This is a great piece. Errol Morris actually ended up getting Randall Adams off death row from this movie - and Adams was within 48 hours of beings executed!!
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MCT:September 28, 2006
Errol Morris presents a investigation into the 1976 murder of a Dallas police officer and Randall Adams, the man wrongfully convicted of the crime. Unlike most documentaries, Morris doesn't use narration and relies on reenactments and interviews to successfully argue Adam's innocence. The score by Phillip Glass is breathtaking. A must-see for documentary fans.
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MCT:September 14, 2006
The documentary film as detective story. I worked at a video store for a few years and I recommended this to one of our regulars. He came back the next day after watching it and said, "You can put all kinds of digital mummies in your movies but *this* movie is scary." He's right.
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MCT:August 16, 2006
Un documentaire extrêmement bien construit. Les débuts du très grand Errol Morris accompagné de la musique du toujours efficace Philip Glass.
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MCT:June 1, 2006
The death penalty system is utterly screwed up in this country. Errol Morris proves it in this fascinating look at a man who, while innocent of murder and not railroaded by anyone, nevertheless was convicted of a crime he did not commit. Mr. Morris' film was instrumental in freeing the innocent Randall Adams from prison. Courageous, powerful, filmmaking at its best.
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