The Thin Blue Line

Erases the border between art and activism.

• Rated 7.7 out of 10
• Movie
• 1988
• 1h 43m
• Crime
• Documentary

One night in November 1976, after his car breaks down on a road outside Dallas, Randall Dale Adams accepts a ride from teenager David Harris. Harris is driving a stolen vehicle and, later that night, when Dallas police officer Robert Wood pulls the car over to check its headlights, he is shot and killed. A jury believes Adams is the killer, but stylized reenactments and interviews with key figures, conflicting testimonies and evidence are presented to argue that Adams was framed by a corrupt justice system, ultimately leading to his exoneration.

Director

Errol Morris

Starring

Randall Adams, David Harris, Gus Rose, Jackie Johnson