David Ray Harris
| The Thin Blue Line | |
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Theatrical Poster
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| Directed by | Errol Morris |
| Produced by | Mark Lipson |
| Written by | Errol Morris |
| Starring |
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| Music by | Philip Glass |
| Cinematography |
Robert Chappell Stefan Czapsky |
| Distributed by |
Miramax Films Umbrella Entertainment |
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Release date
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Running time
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103 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | US$1,209,846 (US and Canada) |
The Thin Blue Line is a 1988 American documentary film by Errol Morris, depicting the story of Randall Dale Adams, a man convicted and sentenced to death for a murder he did not commit. Adams's case was reviewed and he was released from prison approximately a year after the film's release.
The Thin Blue Line has been lauded since its release, and has won many awards.
In October 1976, 28-year-old Randall Adams and his brother left Ohio for California. En route, they arrived in Dallas on Thanksgiving night. The next morning, Adams was offered a job. On the following Saturday, Adams went to start work but no one turned up because it was a weekend. On the way home, his car ran out of fuel.
David Ray Harris (1960-2004), who had just turned sixteen, drove in a car he had stolen from his neighbor in Vidor, Texas before driving to Dallas armed with his father's pistol and a shotgun. Along the way, Harris encountered Adams walking with gasoline canister in hand, and offered him a lift. The two spent most of the following day together during which time they consumed alcohol and marijuana. That evening they went to a drive-in movie.
Robert Wood, a Dallas police officer, was working the graveyard shift with his partner, Teresa Turko, one of the first female police officers in Dallas that was ever assigned to patrol duty. Shortly after midnight, Officer Wood stopped the stolen car occupied by Harris, in the 3400 block of North Hampton Road because, as officially recorded, its headlights were not on. As Wood approached the vehicle on the driver's side, he was shot twice by the occupant - whom the female officer later testified in court as not having seen, as she was (also according to her testimony) standing directly behind the stolen vehicle when the shots were fired. The female officer further testified that the vehicle sped off almost immediately after the shooting, giving her little time to react - and (also according to her testimony) she managed to fire upon the fleeing vehicle, but to no avail.
Officer Wood's autopsy revealed the first shot had hit him in the forearm, after passing through his flashlight. The next shot hit Wood in the chest. The Dallas Police Department investigation eventually led back to Harris, who after returning to Vidor, had boasted to friends that he was responsible for the shooting. When interviewed by police, Harris accused Adams of the murder. Harris led police to the car driven from the scene of the crime, as well as to a .22 Short caliber revolver he identified as the murder weapon.
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Wikipedia