9 Movies That Helped Solve Real Life Crimes

9. The Thin Blue Line (1988)

The Thin Blue Line is a 1988 documentary made by Errol Morris about the trial and conviction of Randall Dale Adams for the murder of Texas police officer Rober Wood. Morris became interested in the case and wanted to document it for its numerous "inconsistencies, incongruities and loose ends."

The documentary is different from most, as it features no narration whatsoever. All it does is show interviews with those associated with the case, evidence, and reenactments reconstructing events as they are described by a witness.

The title of the film was chosen, as it "refers to what Mr. Morris feels is an ironic, mythical image of a protective policeman on the other side of anarchy." The movie ultimately came to a different conclusion than the trial, and it features an admission of innocence made by the original suspect, David Harris.

By the time The Thin Blue Line was released to prove Adams' innocence, he had "spent 12 years in prison before his conviction in the murder of a Dallas police officer was thrown out largely on the basis of evidence uncovered" in the documentary.