It is not uncommon to see justice systems that are flawed—in other words, such systems that don’t deliver their promises of justice.
This is what The Thin Blue Line is about. A certain Randall Adams was wrongfully convicted for the murder of a police officer, to the point of him being on death row. Only to find out years later that it was actually his companion during that incident, David Harris, who committed the actual killing.
That is pretty much what the film is all about, and everything in between is comprised of talking-heads interviews, a staple of documentaries. And the participants seem to break the fourth wall by looking directly at the camera in some instances. But perhaps interestingly, the documentary’s main unique feature has got to be the numerous staged re-enactments of the happenings according to the different testimonies from their respective accounts.
An ideal documentary does not see the need for reconstructions of the actual events, for it relies on the accounts of the participants and the subjects. But Errol Morris decided to break documentary conventions and proceed with it anyway. Who knows, it was going to be his style of delivering testimonies—the recreations may actually help to visualize how events, such as the murder in this subject matter, unfolded.
And perhaps thanks to Errol Morris who committed himself to making this film with thorough investigation, interviewing the personalities that matter here, Randall Adams managed to be discharged from prison, clearing him of accusations and successfully maintained his innocence, while further exploration of the case finds David Harris rightfully guilty of the crime.
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