In 1977, Randall Adams was put on death row for the murder of a police officer, despite overwhelming evidence that another man, David Harris, had committed the crime. With The Thin Blue Line, documentarian Errol Morris compiles interviews, timelines and leading recreations of the night in question, essentially interceding on Adams’ behalf in a way that his lawyers could not. It’s engaging as a procedural, compelling as a meditation on the nature of truth and something of a documentary Rashomon. If it ultimately struck me as a bit cerebral considering the human drama and cost on display (this is certainly lacking the intimacy of Morris’ Gates of Heaven), there is no denying the film’s real-world effect: after The Thin Blue Line came out, there was a public outcry over Adams’ case that led to his release.
