The Thin Blue Line
1988 Directed by Errol Morris
Synopsis
Errol Morris's unique documentary dramatically re-enacts the crime scene and investigation of a police officer's murder in Dallas.
Genre
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This review reportedly contains spoilers. I can handle the truth.
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Between this film, and Into the Abyss, I'm pretty sure if you want to make a great crime documentary, Texas is the place to be. When a police officer in Dallas is shot after stopping a car with it's headlights off, Randall Dale Adams, a drifter, is convicted of the murder. However, from the very start, Adams maintained his innocence, claiming 16 year old David Harris, who he had hitchhiked with earlier, was the murderer. Director Errol Morris uses a combination of interviews and recreated scenes to tell the story from all sides in order to prove Adams' innocence. Morris' interviews are great. Unlike Herzog, Morris is an invisible presence, allowing for the colorful cast of characters to tell the…
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Arguably Errol Morris' best film, "The Thin Blue Line" is a documentary which exceeds the constraints of its genre, becoming a truly intoxicating cinematic experience filled with mystery and confusion.
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Documentary from 1988. I don't think it spoils anything to know some details, as they are listed in most synopses. Randall Adams is wrongly convicted of murdering a police office and he is sentenced to death. The film is ultimately, and amazingly, what freed him.
This is an amazing story, and I had trouble rating it. Based on the story alone, and what it accomplished, it deserves a high score. The film itself maybe wasn't as "entertaining" as some docs, but you can tell this wasn't manipulated at all, it was the facts, plain and simple. And that is scary. It makes me hate people and how god damn stupid some people are, and how god damn selfish others are. It also makes you think of how many other people were in the same situation. ugh
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Really good film. I particularly like the stylized reenactment of the murder. Gorgeous footage.
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This great doc set a new standard for reconstruction visuals tells a fascinating true story while problematizing the notion of truth. Actually managed to free a wrongfully incarcerated man, if I remember correctly.
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The idea of being jailed for a crime you haven’t committed is something that scares the hell out of me, so this film hit hard and it’s amazing to think that it was actually the movie that helped get the guy out. The film looks pretty good and I really liked the re-enactments. They are shown over and over again yet for some reason, never get tired or old. The story slowly unravels it’s self and we learn more and more at a good pace. I’d like to have seen a follow up film to give the story some kind of closure though.
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The documentary that will actually make you enjoy crime reenacments.
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This review reportedly contains spoilers. I can handle the truth.
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I wanted to like it, but it was just so boring. Maybe ill give it another try in a new lifetime.
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Documentary that explores and re-enacts the murder of a police officer, supposedly committed by one person who was convicted, but more than likely actually committed by someone else who was set free. And the entire situation probably wouldn't have ever happened if they had stuck around and watched the rest of The Swinging Cheerleaders at the drive-in. That's what fucking happens when you don't finish watching great movies.
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An interesting documentary that displays the investigation of a murdered cop. I applaud Errol Morris' brilliant usage of stylistic film making and hypnotic shots. This film's main problem is that it gets so worked up in demonstrating the perspectives of the different people involved, that it begins to lose it's genius style and the enigma that surrounded everything (for me at least). None the less, The Thin Blue Line is a very fascinating film.
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Given that for a long while I've enjoyed watching "true crime" shows where reenactments are presented of actual cases and you find out how they were solved, it's surprising that it wasn't until last year that I watched this movie. I wish that they still had these sorts of programs on the former Court TV before it became TruTV and now is best known for a glut of obviously fake "reality" shows where it's a bunch of A-holes being loathsome people to other A-holes. At least other channels still have that sort of programming.
Anyhow, some parts of this come across as hokey and goofy when compared to those aforementioned true crime programs; that said, this is still an important…
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Basically an excellent episode of Unsolved Mysteries, which is to say first-class
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Mira Fincher, mira.