The Thin Blue Line
Erases the border between art and activism.
1988 · 103 min · ★ 7.6 · Crime, Documentary
An unorthodox investigation into the wrongful conviction of Randall Dale Adams for the 1976 murder of Dallas police officer Robert Wood. Using stylized reenactments and interviews with key figures, conflicting testimonies and evidence are presented to argue that Adams was framed by a corrupt justice system, ultimately leading to his exoneration.
Directed by Errol Morris · Written by Errol Morris
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Provider data from JustWatch via TMDB →Cast
- R Randall Adams Self
- D David Harris Self
- G Gus Rose Self - Homicide Detective in Dallas
- J Jackie Johnson Self - Homicide Detective in Dallas
- M Marshall Touchton Self - Homicide Detective in Dallas
- D Dale Holt Self - Internal Affairs Investigator in Dallas
- S Sam Kittrell Self - Police Detective in Vidor
- H Hootie Nelson Self - Friend of David Harris in Vidor
- D Dennis Johnson Self - Friend of David Harris in Vidor
- F Floyd Jackson Self - Friend of David Harris in Vidor
- E Edith James Self - Defense Attorney
- D Dennis White Self - Defense Attorney
Trailers & Videos
More from Errol MorrisSee all →
Nina & Irena · 2023Nina & Irena
★ 10.02023
Movie
On the verge of her 90th birthday, a grandmother reveals to her grandson the painful story of her sister's disappearance during the Holocaust and the survivor's guilt she carries.
Bride of the Orient · 1989Bride of the Orient
★ 9.51989
MovieDramaRomance
After the death of his mother, a lonely farmer in rural Switzerland considers finally starting a family of his own. Eventually he pays for a bride from Thailand. The couple don't share a language, but being to know each other. However the village neighbors are suspicious of foreigners.
First Person · 2000First Person
★ 8.32000
SeriesDocumentary
First Person was an American TV series produced and directed by Errol Morris. The show engaged a varied group of individuals from civil advocates to criminals.
Interviews were conducted with "The Interrotron", a device similar to a teleprompter: Errol and his subject each sit facing a camera. The image of each person's face is then projected onto a two-way mirror positioned in front of the lens of the other's camera. Instead of looking at a blank lens, then, both Morris and his subject are looking directly at a human face. Morris believes that the machine encourages monologue in the interview process, while also encouraging the interviewees to "express themselves to camera".
The Look of Silence · 2014The Look of Silence
★ 7.82014
MovieHistoryDocumentary
An Indonesian man with a communist background named Ramli was brutally murdered when the "Communist" purge occurred in 1965. His remaining family members lived in fear and silence until the making of this documentary. Adi, a brother of his, decided to revisit the horrific incident and visited the men who were responsible for the killings and one survivor of the purge. These meetings uncovered sadistic details of the murders and exposed raw emotions and reactions of the killers' family members about what happened in the past - much to Adi's disappointment.
The Fog of War · 2003The Fog of War
★ 7.72003
MovieDocumentaryTV Movie
Using archival footage, cabinet conversation recordings, and an interview of the 85-year-old Robert McNamara, The Fog of War depicts his life, from working as a WWII whiz-kid military officer, to being the Ford Motor Company's president, to managing the Vietnam War as defense secretary for presidents Kennedy and Johnson.
The Act of Killing · 2012The Act of Killing
★ 7.72012
MovieDocumentaryHistory
In this chilling and groundbreaking documentary, former Indonesian death squad leaders reenact their real-life mass killings in the style of various film genres. As they recreate their past atrocities, the line between reality and performance blurs, exposing the lingering impact of Indonesia's 1965-66 anti-communist purge and the unsettling psychology of its perpetrators.
Life Itself · 2014Life Itself
★ 7.52014
MovieDocumentary
The surprising and entertaining life of renowned film critic and social commentator Roger Ebert (1942-2013): his early days as a freewheeling bachelor and Pulitzer Prize winner, his famously contentious partnership with Gene Siskel, his life-altering marriage, and his brave and transcendent battle with cancer.
Hotel New York · 1984Hotel New York
★ 7.51984
MovieComedy
A comedy about New York and its eccentric inhabitants. A French filmmaker comes to New York to show her film at MOMA. Fascinated by the city, she decides to stay.
A Brief History of Time · 1991A Brief History of Time
★ 7.21991
MovieDocumentary
This shows physicist Stephen Hawking's life as he deals with the ALS that renders him immobile and unable to speak without the use of a computer. Hawking's friends, family, classmates, and peers are interviewed not only about his theories but the man himself.
The Lure · 2016The Lure
★ 7.22016
MovieDocumentary
An eccentric millionaire hides $3 million of gold somewhere in the Rocky Mountains, luring thousands out on a wild treasure hunt in search of riches and redemption.
The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley · 2019The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley
★ 7.02019
MovieDocumentary
With a magical new invention that promised to revolutionize blood testing, Elizabeth Holmes became the world’s youngest self-made billionaire, heralded as the next Steve Jobs. Then, overnight, her 10-billion-dollar company dissolved. The rise and fall of Theranos is a window into the psychology of fraud.
Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe · 1988Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe
★ 6.91988
MovieDocumentaryComedy
Directors Werner Herzog and Errol Morris make a bet which results in Herzog living up to his promise that he would eat his shoe if Errol Morris ever completed the film Gates of Heaven.
Point of View · 1988Point of View
★ 6.91988
SeriesDocumentary
Since its 1988 premiere, this critically acclaimed documentary series has presented hundreds of films that put a human face on contemporary social issues by relating a compelling story in an intimate fashion. "POV" has won virtually every major film and broadcasting award available, including 38 Emmys, 22 Peabody Awards and three Oscars.
Vernon, Florida · 1981Vernon, Florida
★ 6.81981
MovieDocumentary
Early Errol Morris documentary intersplices random chatter he captured on film of the genuinely eccentric residents of Vernon, Florida. A few examples? The preacher giving a sermon on the definition of the word "Therefore," and the obsessive turkey hunter who speaks reverentially of the "gobblers" he likes to track down and kill.
Gates of Heaven · 1978Gates of Heaven
★ 6.81978
MovieDocumentary
A documentary about a pet cemetery in California, and the people who have pets buried there.
Standard Operating Procedure · 2008Standard Operating Procedure
★ 6.82008
MovieDocumentaryWar
Errol Morris examines the incidents of abuse and torture of suspected terrorists at the hands of U.S. forces at the Abu Ghraib prison.
More Like This
Atlantic City · 1980Atlantic City
★ 6.81980
MovieCrimeDrama
In a corrupt city, a small-time gangster and the estranged wife of a pot dealer find themselves thrown together in an escapade of love, money, drugs and danger.
Guncrazy · 1992Guncrazy
★ 5.31992
MovieDramaRomance
California teen Anita Minteer struggles in the face of an absentee mother, her mom's abusive boyfriend, Rooney, and a lack of respect from her classmates. This all changes when a pen-pal school project connects her with convict Howard. Anita secures Howard's parole and violently squares off against Rooney after he rapes her. Soon enough, the gun-crazy teen is on the run with Howard, with his parole officer in pursuit.
Happy, Texas · 1999Happy, Texas
★ 5.71999
MovieComedyCrime
Two escaped convicts roll into the village of Happy, Texas, where they're mistaken for a gay couple who work as beauty pageant consultants. They go along with it to duck the police, but the local sheriff has a secret of his own.
The Girl Who Played with Fire · 2009The Girl Who Played with Fire
★ 7.02009
MovieDramaAction
Mikael Blomkvist, publisher of Millennium magazine, has made his living exposing the crooked and corrupt practices of establishment Swedish figures. So when a young journalist approaches him with a meticulously researched thesis about sex trafficking in Sweden and those in high office who abuse underage girls, Blomkvist immediately throws himself into the investigation.
Mechanic: Resurrection · 2016Mechanic: Resurrection
★ 6.12016
MovieActionCrime
Arthur Bishop thought he had put his murderous past behind him when his most formidable foe kidnaps the love of his life. Now he is forced to travel the globe to complete three impossible assassinations, and do what he does best, make them look like accidents.
Cop Out · 2010Cop Out
★ 5.52010
MovieActionComedy
Detectives Jimmy and Paul, despite nine years as partners, can still sometimes seem like polar opposites—especially when Paul's unpredictable antics get them suspended without pay. Already strapped for cash and trying to pay for his daughter's wedding, Jimmy decides to sell a rare baseball card that's worth tens of thousands. Unfortunately, when the collector's shop is robbed and the card vanishes with the crook, Paul and Jimmy end up going rogue, tracking down the card and the drug ring behind its theft, all on their own time and without any backup—except for each other.
Ebola Syndrome · 1996Ebola Syndrome
★ 6.41996
MovieComedyCrime
A violent fugitive on the run from the law makes his way from Hong Kong to South Africa, where he discovers that he's immune to the Ebola virus, and later returns home to spread the deadly disease.
The Deep End · 2001The Deep End
★ 6.22001
MovieMysteryThriller
With her husband Jack perpetually away at work, Margaret Hall raises her children virtually alone. Her teenage son is testing the waters of the adult world, and early one morning she wakes to find the dead body of his gay lover on the beach of their rural lakeside home. What would you do? What is rational and what do you do to protect your child? How far do you go and when do you stop?
Death in a French Garden · 1985Death in a French Garden
★ 6.01985
MovieCrimeDrama
A wealthy wife's affair with her daughter's guitar tutor is threatened when the tutor is attacked and rescued by a hired killer, leading him to suspect their secret is out.
