The Thin Blue Line

Documentary filmmaker Errol Morris's 1988 third feature is a landmark of nonfiction filmmaking, both for its inventive style and advocacy stance. Morris investigates the case of Randall Adams—a man serving on death row in Texas for the fatal shooting of a patrolman—by analyzing the evidence and testimony that sent Adams to prison. At the center of his investigation is David Harris—whose trial account was instrumental in convicting Adams—a man who at the time of filming was himself on death row for murder. Morris uses interviews and stylized re-enactments of scenes described in the courtroom in order to contrast the different and sometimes contradictory evidence. The resulting film is as dramatic as any Hollywood thriller—featuring vivid cinematography and an ominous Philip Glass score—but it also turns a damning eye on a justice system that ignores contradictions to push for convictions. The Thin Blue Line led directly to the exoneration of Adams, thanks to the detail of Morris's inquiry (he once described himself as a “detective-director”), and it landed on many Top Ten lists of 1988, yet wasn't even nominated for an Academy Award—an oversight that launched a re-evaluation of the nomination process for documentaries. Newly remastered for DVD and its Blu-ray debut, extras include new interviews with Morris and filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer, a 1989 news report on the Adams case, and a booklet. One of the most important and influential films in the history of American nonfiction cinema, this is highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (S. Axmaker)