audrablum This week I watched The Thin Blue Line (1988). This was a riveting documentary that articulated just how swayed the "justice" system can be when it wants to believe a guilty narrative. It made me feel that Randall Adams was lucky that his case was stayed as he may have been falsely put to death otherwise. It also made me wonder how many innocent people have actually died at the hands of our death penalty as a result of false prosecution. This may even be the entire point of this story. However, it may have been the secondary point. I think the first point of the film was Randall's innocence. The film clearly made its point because Randall's case got a re-hearing and was released from prison the following year. As with many documentary films, this film was told from multiple perspectives, all of which supported the main narrative of Randall's innocence. The pacing of the film changed organically with the nature of the story. The film opened with a quick pacing and slowed down as each character said their piece. The payoff of the film really came for me after the film when I further researched what happened after the film was released. The editing really colored my emotional reaction as the editor chose parts of the film to lead the viewer's expectations one way or another. I think the film was really well done and really drove home some important points when it comes to our justice system.

Jane Louise Byfield I'm not going to knock the incredible injustice. The story itself is not boring it's just the way they told which was dull, it just put me to sleep. They also repeatedly showed reenactments of the crime. I keep thinking something different is going to happen from the last time they showed it but no. I don't get why they had to keep showing the same thing over and over. Even those telling the story kept repeating what they'd already said. I am sure this could have been made into a 30 minute documentary if everything wasn't repeated. I really struggled to stay awake watching this. I am very surprised it's got such a high rating. The only positive I can say is it will probably make a good movie.

Michael_Elliott The Thin Blue Line (1988) **** (out of 4) This excellent documentary from Errol Morris features more drama than any crime movie that Hollywood could make up in their minds. This film traces the story of a murdered police officer and the arrest of Randall Dale Adams who was convicted of the crime even though most of the evidence pointed to David Harris. Through some questionable witnesses Adams was sentenced to a life term but Morris interviews him and Harris as well as the witnesses as he tries to tell what really happened. THE THIN BLUE LINE is about as perfect as a documentary can get and a lot of credit must go to Morris for the style he brought to the story. Not only do we get interviews for the majority of those involved, the director also adds some re-enactments and I really loved how he used newspaper listings to back up certain parts of the story. Just one example of this is that the men went to see a drive-in movie and Morris shows up the advertisement from the paper showing that the movies were playing. The real drama comes from the fact that everything seems to say that Adams is innocent and the only reason he was brought to trial was because people were lying. Just hearing from the "witnesses" as they talk about the lies they're telling is something so tense that you really couldn't get the same level of suspense from a made up movie. Knowing that real lives were involved in the story just makes it all the more personal and all the more dramatic. THE THIN BLUE LINE is perfectly crafted and there's no question that the story being told grabs you right from the start and never lets you go.

lacrossezombie I went into this movie not knowing what to expect, and boy was I surprised! This documentary tells the story of the murder of an innocent police officer from the different points of view of the people involved with the case. The whole movie has a very creepy feel to it, and I actually felt nervous throughout the whole movie, as if I was watching a horror film! The whole case is extremely interesting, and all the twists and turns of it kept me on the edge of my seat. I found myself trying to pick apart the case myself. The only problem I had with the movie, which is minor, is that it was told in a kind of fashion that had each "time period" (trial and accident) kind of mixed into each other, which is a creative way of telling the story, but I honestly don't like it in most movies because it can get very confusing. However, this doesn't really get too confusing and is still pretty easy to follow. With an ending I was not really left me speechless, I say this is a must see for anyone who is into trials or murders, likes documentaries, or is just looking for a good mystery type film (even though it is a documentary). It is one of the best documentaries I have actually seen, and so I give it 9/10 stars.