The Thin Blue Line (1988)

A film that successfully argued that a man was wrongly convicted for murder by a corrupt justice system in Dallas County, Texas.

Director:

Errol Morris

Writer:

Errol Morris

Stars:

Randall Adams, David Ray Harris, Gus Rose

12 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Randall Adams	...	Himself
David Ray Harris	...	Himself
Gus Rose	...	Himself (Homicide Detective in Dallas)
Jackie Johnson	...	Herself (Homicide Detective in Dallas)
Marshall Touchton	...	Himself (Homicide Detective in Dallas)
Dale Holt	...	Himself (Internal Affairs Investigator in Dallas)
Sam Kittrell	...	Himself (Police Detective in Vidor)
Hootie Nelson	...	Himself (Friend of David Harris in Vidor)
Dennis Johnson	...	Himself (Friend of David Harris in Vidor)
Floyd Jackson	...	Himself (Friend of David Harris in Vidor)
Edith James	...	Herself (Defense Attorney)
Dennis White	...	Himself (Defense Attorney)
Don Metcalfe	...	Himself (The Judge)
Emily Miller	...	Herself (Surprise Eyewitness)
R.L. Miller	...	Himself (Surprise Eyewitness)

Storyline

Errol Morris's unique documentary dramatically re-enacts the crime scene and investigation of a police officer's murder in Dallas, Texas. Briefly, a drifter (Randall Adams) ran out of gas 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 diverged. Adams claimed that he left for his motel, where he was staying with his brother, and went to sleep. Harris, however, said 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 ...

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Plot Keywords:

murder of a police officer | color in title | hitchhiker | reenactment | wrongful conviction | 

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Taglines:

A softcore movie, Dr. Death, a chocolate milkshake, a nosey blonde and "The Carol Burnett Show." Solving this mystery is going to be murder.

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Genres:

Documentary | Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 August 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

På en skör tråd

Filming Locations:

Dallas, Texas, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$1,209,846

Company Credits

Production Co:

American Playhouse, Channel 4 Television Corporation, Third Floor Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Errol Morris spent 2-1/2 years tracking down the various players in the Randall Adams case and convincing them to appear in the film.

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Quotes

Melvyn Carson Bruder: Prosecutors in Dallas have said for years - any prosecutor can convict a guilty man. It takes a great prosecutor to convict an innocent man.

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Crazy Credits

In memory of my brother Noel Ian Morris (1942-1983)

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Connections

Spoofed in Documentary Now!: The Eye Doesn't Lie (2015)

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Soundtracks

Metamorphosis
Written by Philip Glass

User Reviews

A film that can really, really make you angry

The Thin Blue line shows how wrong our legal system is here in the US. Trials are run not as a celebration of justice but as a purveyor of revenge. Prosecuting attorneys are not men who believe in doing what's right, but what will most successfully add to their reputation. A psychologist testifies against over 99% of those criminals he interviews so that they will get the death penalty. The police choose to believe a juvenile delinquent's testimony against a man who has never done anything majorly illegal in his life just because they cannot send a 16 year old to the chair, and they cannot fail to execute someone over the death of a police officer. Every single police officer and witness who had anything to do with the trial was discreditable, yet no discrediting evidence was ever allowed in the court. You may have guessed that this all takes place in Texas.

Even with the power it carries, The Thin Blue Line has some structural problems. I wish that we had been given some more information on Randall Adams (although maybe there just wasn't too much to say). And I wish that we would have been able to hear the "thin blue line" closing argument of the prosecuting attorney, a speech that made the judge's eyes water. If you like this film, search out Paradise Lost: The Child Murders of Robin Hood Hills, a documentary obviously inspired by this. That one is a little more convincing and powerful than The Thin Blue Line (although this one apparently helped to get Adams off the hook; of course, with the amount of evidence that the film amassed, it is difficult to let the man rot without one more chance).