The Thin Blue Line (1988)

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.

Genres: Crime, Documentary

What to watch after The Thin Blue Line

• The Act of Killing (2012)
• Icarus (2017) — Two steps away in the credits
• 13th (2016) — Same feel: thought-provoking, serious
• The Last Days (1998)
• Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr. (1999) — Errol Morris directed both
• The Fog of War (2003) — Errol Morris directed both