The Thin Blue Line (1988)

The 1975 police homicide case of Randall Adams Vs David Harris conceals a compelling story. The investigation and consequential trial is recollected here by the concerned officers, lawyers and witnesses as well as the two defendants themselves, complete with conflicting statements. This is one dark film, essentially airing the justice system's mistreatment of the case. The events are depicted here using dynamic almost lyrical pacing and a twisting, tension bound structure. Mixing interviews, reconstructed scenes, filmic excerpts and the real documentary evidence from the case, no dark corners are left unexplored or questions left unasked. I've come to expect nothing less from documentary film-maker Errol Morris who always delivers us to new and strange places with the most satisfying of conclusions. Unafraid to cut away from the dialogue Morris tells a documentary like a master of storytelling would tell fiction. The Philip Glass orchestral score helps blur the line between documentary and drama without ever feeling exploitative or trivialising of the real events. A final blow is held onto until the final minutes when you realise, *BAM!* he's done it again. Amazing! This one is going to linger in my mind for days.