








In the Heat of the Night (1967)







African-American Philadelphia police detective Virgil Tibbs is arrested on suspicion of murder by Bill Gillespie, the racist police chief of tiny Sparta, Mississippi. After Tibbs proves not only his own innocence but that of another man, he joins forces with Gillespie to track down the real killer. Their investigation takes them through every social level of the town, with Tibbs making enemies as well as unlikely friends as he hunts for the truth.
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Sorry, this movie sucks
The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful
This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows
It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.
"The Thomas Crown Affair" director Norman Jewison made this breakthrough African-American/White-American murder mystery when he lensed John Ball's novel "In the Heat of the Night," and captured the Oscar for Best Picture of 1967. Not only did the film win for Best Picture, but also Rod Steiger won a Best Actor Oscar, along with Hal Ashby taking home a statuette for Best Editing, and scenarist Stirling Silliphant for his adaptation of Ball's novel. Incidentally, the novel was John Ball's first murder-mystery, and it received the Edgar Award for Best First Novel from the Mystery Writers of America. United Artists and producer Walter Mirisch were so worried about the subject matter that reportedly, Mirisch projected what the film might gross if the studio decided to bypass releasing it in the South. Racial tensions were still high below the Mason/Dixon Line, and Poitier insisted that Jewison shoot the bulk of the film in Illinois rather than Mississippi. Indeed, the 'N' word is spouted several times, but more often than not, Tibbs is scornfully referred to as a 'boy.' Eventually, Jewison persuaded Poitier to shoot a few scenes in Tennessee where he meets the county's leading citizen, Eric Endicott (Larry Gates of "Lucky Luciano") whose own racism is as conspicuous as his lily-white complexion. The slapping scene may have been controversial in some spots in the South. No sooner does Endicott slap Virgil Tibbs than he responds in like with a similar slap! Basically, a Northerner entrepreneur named Colbert has decided to build a factory in rural Mississippi. However, before construction commences, Colbert is murdered, and his wallet stolen. Sparta, Mississippi, Deputy Sam Wood (Warren Oates of "Return of the Seven") discovers the corpse in the middle of a side street. Wood's superior Chief Gillespie (Rod Steiger of "Waterloo") dispatches Wood to check certain other nightspots. Wood pokes his head into the local railway depot, and he arrests a neat, well-dressed African-American male. Proudly, Wood brings his prisoner in for questioning. Imagine Chief Gillespie's surprise and shock when he learns Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier of "Duel at Diablo") is the best homicide detective on the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Police Department. Moreover, he is further disturbed that Tibbs makes $162.39 a week. Eventually, Gillespie confirms Tibbs' story with a brief telephone conversation with his superior. Trouble emerges when Tibbs finds himself stuck in a tight-spot. Either he can assist Chief Gillespie with the murder investigation (something his superior in Pennsylvania suggest), unless Tibbs is prejudiced. Ultimately, "In the Heat of the Night" depicts the uneasy relationship between a seasoned Northern black detective and a bigoted white Southern town marshal. Neither Tibbs nor Gillespie wants to have anything to do with each other. Nevertheless, they are forced to cooperate when Colbert's widow (Lee Grant of "Voyage of the Damned") approaches Mayor Schubert (William Schallert of "Hour of the Gun") and insists that they take advantage of Tibbs' expertise with crime scene investigation. Tibbs conducts a post-mortem inspection of Colbert's remains, and he concludes based on evidence that the individual who killed Colbert used his right hand. The second suspect that Gillespie's deputies haul in after a strenuous chase, Harvey Oberst (Scott Wilson of "In Cold Blood"), is cleared of murder because he is a southpaw. Mrs. Colbert was at the police department when this scene occurred. Reluctantly, Gillespie drops the murder charges against Oberst, but he holds him for theft. Mrs. Colbert threatens to pack up her husband's engineers and return to Chicago, Illinois, unless Gillespie uses Tibbs. Mayor Schubert advises Gillespie to avail himself of Tibbs' services. Schubert explains that Mrs. Colbert has insisted, but also neither Gillespie nor he will suffer any blowback if Tibbs' botches the case. Later, Tibbs admits to the black family that gives him a roof over his head that he is 'a whipping boy.'The investigation relies primarily on evidence that Tibbs amasses rather than wily Sherlock Holmes' sleuthing. The actual murder is caught, and he confesses that he committed the homicide. Nobody gives a bad performance, and everybody seems to have some character trait that comes out when they appear. For example, Chief Gillespie chews gum constantly. When Tibbs interviews Mrs. Colbert in her motel room, she spends the time extracting strands of his husband's hair from his hair brush. A café owner, Ralph (Anthony James of "High Plains Drifter"), likes to shoot flies with a rubber band. Poitier is especially good. Watch is body language when he decides to accompany Gillespie back to town to solve the murder.I've lived in the South for most of my life, and I was amazed at how much Sparta, Illinois, resembled Starkville, Mississippi, as well as other towns in the prairie.
He handles the racism and prejudice like a class act and paves the way for other African American actors.
In the heat of the night "A hundred and sixty-two dollars and thirty-nine cents a week? Well boy! Sam, you take him outside but treat him nice, because a man that makes a hundred and sixty-two dollars and thirty-nine cents a week, we do not want to ruffle him! " Even when his intelligence laid on the table, racial preoccupation would still stand the way of his investigation." In the heat of the night" was directed by Norman Jewison in 1967. Different from other crime drama, this story puts more focus on building characters rather than the murder itself. This story described a story of a black police detective uncovered a murder case in a small southern racist town. When detective Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier) waiting for a train at the station, a police officer (Rod Steiger) arrested him and accused him of murdering a successful businessman. When he clarified his identity at the police station, the local chief unwillingly asks for his assistance. During the investigation, Virgil's life had been threatened due to racial prejudice. While the racial tensions are growing over time, the hostility of chief is fading... Although storyline evolve around the murder events, still the movie shows a lot of interactions between Virgil and other characters. It draws audiences focus on the question: Can Virgil's career excellence overcome the prejudices and successfully reveal the mystery? " In the heat of the night" won a Best Picture Oscar Award by successfully conveyed the pictures of a hot, slimy, and small southern town. In the film, everyone's head was full of beads of sweat; it makes audiences feel the heat of the hot summer. Also, the characters often held an iced coke in their hand, and it reminds viewers the thirsty feeling of a hot day. By using small details and high saturated color, the film creates realistic pictures of the environment. The chief was very well acted, his accent and the noisy sound of gums also enhanced the impression of his personality. Overall, this is an engaging, entertaining, and well-acted movie.
Jeez, the tension in this movie.Time has not dulled the potency of "In the Heat of the Night"'s subject matter or its handling thereof. The mistreatment of a black homicide detective in the deep South is still cuttingly dreadful. And the sweltering atmosphere here is something else.But the real selling point is seeing Rod Steiger and Sidney Poitier slowly come together as policemen, after all of the prejudices have finished colliding. Steiger's is a subtle performance despite his outsized presence, and Poitier barely contains the animosity. Their tenuous partnership is what makes this so worthwhile, and I'm sure it helps things being couched in a crime movie.A riveting one, at that.8/10