The Thin Blue Line

1988
8| 1h43m| NA| en| More Info
Released: 28 August 1988 Released
Producted By: American Playhouse
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

Errol Morris's unique documentary dramatically re-enacts the crime scene and investigation of a police officer's murder in Dallas.

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Cast

Director

Errol Morris

Production Companies

American Playhouse

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The Thin Blue Line Audience Reviews

Rijndri Load of rubbish!!
GurlyIamBeach Instant Favorite.
MusicChat It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.
Jakoba True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.
Red_Identity Considering the acclaim for this, perhaps I expected something a little more unconventional. The film, is certainly a fabulous mood piece. The director is not afraid to have different recreations based on different peoples' memories, and he certainly revels in trying to come up with the ambiguities in all of the films. The film does start off ambiguous by the start, but somewhere along the way the scales tip in one side and you're then firmly planted on one of the two sides, and all of this is of course intentional, and there is enough speculation to make you confident in your belief but still not actual evidence, which does leave the whole thing open by the end.
david_bettoney I am in UK and - to some degree - this film was spoilt for me by the diction of many of the "cast" - how much better this would have been with added subtitles. The overall thrust of the film however is worrying. In another case (and sadly i cannot now trace the reference) a US Judge said - on appeal - "innocence is not enough to overturn a jury verdict".As someone else said there was a desire to convict at almost any price and kill someone for the death of a policeman. This was possibly the attitude in UK in the 1950s and 1960s when miscarriages occurred with the knowledge (if not full understanding) of the police.I believe that in US the DA is an elected official and this may have a lot to do with the failures "it takes an excellent prosecutor to convict an innocent man".Hopefully in UK and US these days things are better. I do not hold my breath though
Framescourer This well-prepared and compelling documentary has one or two moments of brilliance that lift it above the average. The first is the reconstruction of the crime at the centre of the story. A nightmarish, abstracted scene that David Lynch might have created, this drama plays over and over again, never going beyond the perimeter of the camera's widest angle. It not only traps the event in a space but also in time. The second is the editorial care with which the director frames serial offender David Harris - only in the final shot of this man speaking do we see him reach up to scratch his face, revealing his handcuffs.The story itself is a blatant miscarriage of justice (postscripts record Adams' acquittal). The most compelling thing is to watch those involved speak about the event. The belligerent and defensive self-righteousness of bigoted Dallas officers and a self-important judge bloat the screen; the calm equanimity of defence lawyers, detective Sam Kittrell and even Adams himself are as powerful an advocate as the evidence itself. There is very little music but what there is is the stripped down, undulating underscoring of Philip Glass. It's occasionally difficult to make out exactly what's being said given the mix and the nature of the vernacular and accents but that's a minor point for a major document. 7/10
lacrossezombie I went into this movie not knowing what to expect, and boy was I surprised! This documentary tells the story of the murder of an innocent police officer from the different points of view of the people involved with the case. The whole movie has a very creepy feel to it, and I actually felt nervous throughout the whole movie, as if I was watching a horror film! The whole case is extremely interesting, and all the twists and turns of it kept me on the edge of my seat. I found myself trying to pick apart the case myself. The only problem I had with the movie, which is minor, is that it was told in a kind of fashion that had each "time period" (trial and accident) kind of mixed into each other, which is a creative way of telling the story, but I honestly don't like it in most movies because it can get very confusing. However, this doesn't really get too confusing and is still pretty easy to follow. With an ending I was not really left me speechless, I say this is a must see for anyone who is into trials or murders, likes documentaries, or is just looking for a good mystery type film (even though it is a documentary). It is one of the best documentaries I have actually seen, and so I give it 9/10 stars.