20180624:
My favorite visual in this film was the last scene with the rolling cassette tape.
I was surprised to learn that the justice system was corrupt and imperfect.
Unfortunately, the pace of the documentary was slow and it took over half an hour before it got interesting. Two of my coworkers felt similarly, though one of them read about the case ahead of time and that motivated her to watch the rest of the documentary.
Overall, the documentary is more character driven and covers an interesting case. I would recommend it to those with at least a mild interest in crime stories or corruption, but would advise potential viewers to read a little about the case beforehand (e.g., Randall Dale Adams on Wikipedia).
On 20180624, Netflix determined the documentary for me as <56% match. I decided to give it neither a thumbs up nor a thumbs down.
Instant Comments:
@8 Huh. This coercion to sign is interesting. I suppose I thought that was only in the movies.
@11 Ugh. I remember the time I got a ticket when my headlighs were off.
@13 I've run the exercise of trying to identify and recognize the license plate of cars every now and then. And it's difficult, even under no duress.
@18 David Harris bragging about shooting the officer
@20 Hmm. Why would someone brag about such a thing?
@32 I think up to this point, the story got interesting. (He says he wishes the officer put some holes in it and killed the driver because he wasn't in it) Prior to this point, I didn't understand why I should care about this story.
@39 Huh. WTF.
@40 So Randall Adams gets the short end of the stick because he's 28 years old.
@46 Damn, even his brother felt pushed to bail out on him as a witness. (Afraid of perjury)
@48 "We refreshed her memory."
@52 Hmm. Somehow I doubt the lighting is ideal for seeing someone.
@56 Hmm. False evidence. I never really thought about that happening before. The ideal justice system vs. the actual justice system.
@57 "Nobody can - has that good an eyesight." Exactly.
@60 Oh good. He was going to make it seem as if he saw the whole thing. How slow he would have had to drive. Anyways, it's still unlikely given how weak his story is.
@61 "Thin Blue Line"
@65 Has this sort of procedure changed or do psychiatrists still do this?
@66 99% negative verdict. Damn. Send data scientists in to try and come up with better predictors. A coin is probably a better predictor.
@68 Mind boggling how the jury came up with the verdict.
@72 Huh. Corrupt D.A.?
@74 Lol. Huh. That logic is so dumb. 9-0. 1-8. -> 10-8. If anything, the supreme court justices should count double or triple.
@76 Whoa. How extreme. This guy left his profession due to this case...
@78 So from the story being crafted, this kid was set free to go and commit a series of future crimes and an innocent man was put in jail to save face? In fact, not just an innocent man, but a man who was good-natured.
@94 Well. That's interesting to hear his life background.
@95 "The proverbial scapegoat."
Cassette conversation:
Credits:
@98 "Re-enactments | (of the crime scene, interrogation and drive-in movie)"
Watched 20190213 (Netflix, Instant)
The Thin Blue Line (1988) Errol Morris. 101 min
Relevant Links:
The Thin Blue Line (IMDb.com)
The Thin Blue Line (RottenTomatoes.com)
The Thin Blue Line (Wikipedia.org)
My favorite visual in this film was the last scene with the rolling cassette tape.
 |
| Randall Dale Adams |
I was surprised to learn that the justice system was corrupt and imperfect.
Unfortunately, the pace of the documentary was slow and it took over half an hour before it got interesting. Two of my coworkers felt similarly, though one of them read about the case ahead of time and that motivated her to watch the rest of the documentary.
Overall, the documentary is more character driven and covers an interesting case. I would recommend it to those with at least a mild interest in crime stories or corruption, but would advise potential viewers to read a little about the case beforehand (e.g., Randall Dale Adams on Wikipedia).
On 20180624, Netflix determined the documentary for me as <56% match. I decided to give it neither a thumbs up nor a thumbs down.
Instant Comments:
@8 Huh. This coercion to sign is interesting. I suppose I thought that was only in the movies.
@11 Ugh. I remember the time I got a ticket when my headlighs were off.
@13 I've run the exercise of trying to identify and recognize the license plate of cars every now and then. And it's difficult, even under no duress.
@18 David Harris bragging about shooting the officer
@20 Hmm. Why would someone brag about such a thing?
@32 I think up to this point, the story got interesting. (He says he wishes the officer put some holes in it and killed the driver because he wasn't in it) Prior to this point, I didn't understand why I should care about this story.
@39 Huh. WTF.
@40 So Randall Adams gets the short end of the stick because he's 28 years old.
@46 Damn, even his brother felt pushed to bail out on him as a witness. (Afraid of perjury)
@48 "We refreshed her memory."
@52 Hmm. Somehow I doubt the lighting is ideal for seeing someone.
@56 Hmm. False evidence. I never really thought about that happening before. The ideal justice system vs. the actual justice system.
 |
| David Ray Harris |
@57 "Nobody can - has that good an eyesight." Exactly.
@60 Oh good. He was going to make it seem as if he saw the whole thing. How slow he would have had to drive. Anyways, it's still unlikely given how weak his story is.
@61 "Thin Blue Line"
@65 Has this sort of procedure changed or do psychiatrists still do this?
@66 99% negative verdict. Damn. Send data scientists in to try and come up with better predictors. A coin is probably a better predictor.
@68 Mind boggling how the jury came up with the verdict.
@72 Huh. Corrupt D.A.?
@74 Lol. Huh. That logic is so dumb. 9-0. 1-8. -> 10-8. If anything, the supreme court justices should count double or triple.
@76 Whoa. How extreme. This guy left his profession due to this case...
@78 So from the story being crafted, this kid was set free to go and commit a series of future crimes and an innocent man was put in jail to save face? In fact, not just an innocent man, but a man who was good-natured.
@94 Well. That's interesting to hear his life background.
@95 "The proverbial scapegoat."
Cassette conversation:
Errol Morris: Were you surprised when the police blamed him?
David Harris: They didn't blame him. I did. A scared sixteen year old kid. He would sure like to get out of it if he can.
Errol Morris: Do you think they believed you?
David Harris: No doubt. Must have. They didn't have nothing else until I give them something, so... I guess they get something, they run with it, you know.
Errol Morris: Were you surprised they believed you?
David Harris: I might have been. I don't know. I was hoping they'd believe me, you know. After all was said and done it was kind of unbelievable. But there it is. I've always thought if you could say why there's a reason Randall Adams is in jail, it might be because the fact that he didn't have no place for somebody to stay that helped him that night... landed him where's he's at... That might be the reason. That might be the only, total reason why he's where he's at today.
Credits:
@98 "Re-enactments | (of the crime scene, interrogation and drive-in movie)"
Watched 20190213 (Netflix, Instant)
The Thin Blue Line (1988) Errol Morris. 101 min
Relevant Links:
The Thin Blue Line (IMDb.com)
The Thin Blue Line (RottenTomatoes.com)
The Thin Blue Line (Wikipedia.org)
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