The Thin Blue Line (1988)
"Erases the border between art and activism."
ThumbScore
👍 83%audience score Estimated from TMDB user ratings and critic scores, calibrated to Google's former audience score. Google stopped publishing it in 2026.
Critics Score
🎬 90%
(RT: 100%, MC: 79) RT = Rotten Tomatoes (critic reviews). MC = Metacritic (weighted critic average). Critics Score is the average of both.
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Where to Watch
Free
Streaming
Subtitles on OpenSubtitles.com: English · Español · Español (Latinoamérica) · Español (España)
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Cast
Randall Adams as Self
David Harris as Self
Gus Rose as Self - Homicide Detective in Dallas
Jackie Johnson as Self - Homicide Detective in Dallas
Marshall Touchton as Self - Homicide Detective in Dallas
Dale Holt as Self - Internal Affairs Investigator in Dallas
Sam Kittrell as Self - Police Detective in Vidor
Hootie Nelson as Self - Friend of David Harris in Vidor
Is The Thin Blue Line good?
Most people think so. 83% audience score, estimated from 429 TMDB ratings. Critics agree, scoring it 90%.
Overview
One night in November 1976, after his car breaks down on a road outside Dallas, Randall Dale Adams accepts a ride from teenager David Harris. Harris is driving a stolen vehicle and, later that night, when Dallas police officer Robert Wood pulls the car over to check its headlights, he is shot and killed. A jury believes Adams is the killer, but 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. Wikipedia ↗
