The Thin Blue Line Movie Review

The Thin Blue Line was among the best entries at international film festivals in 1988. This Errol Morris movie is documentary filmmaking at its finest: it entertains and informs, magnetizes audiences, and stirs their emotions. It even helped to free a convicted man who was wrongly convicted for murder. How can a man be wrongly convicted for murder in this day and age? Morris shows us how in 101 absorbing minutes. It's frightening to watch how the man who is probably the real killer was able to fool so many people with his carefully cultivated attitude of innocence and respectfulness. Morris conducted the interviews of many subjects in shadows, evoking a film noir mood. A memorable score by Philip Glass enhances the suspense. Although Errol Morris admitted that much of the investigative work he had to do was boring, The Thin Blue Line is absolutely original, and with a pace and style like no other documentary ever made.

1988 101m/C D: Errol Morris; W: Errol Morris; C: Robert Chappell, Stefan Czapsky; M: Philip Glass. VHS, LV, Closed Caption