In the Heat of the Night Reviews

The 1967 Academy Awards is widely considered one of the turning points and a viable symbol of the movie industry in full-blown identity crisis. Even the Wikipedia page for the event states: “The Best Picture nominees were an eclectic group of films reflecting the chaos of the era.” You had the white elephant social message movie (Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner), the requisite musical (Doctor Dolittle), and two daring, ambitious classics-in-the-making that reflected the upcoming voices and faces of the New Hollywood (Bonnie and Clyde, The Graduate). Situated in-between them was the mutant film that featured all the outward appearances of classic studio making but spoke its themes with more truth and honesty (In the Heat of the Night).

The eventual winner was the film that situated itself between the old and the new. What does that mean for coming to In the Heat of the Night through modern eyes? Well, it holds up surprisingly well as a study of two different personalities learning to deal with each other while investigating a crime. It offers Sidney Poitier one of the richest roles of his career and provides a series of great character actors the opportunity to shine.

Virgil Tibbs (Poitier), a Philadelphia police detective specializing in homicides, get picked-up as a suspect for the murder of a wealthy resident of a small southern town. Watching Tibbs comply with the prejudicial cops is nerve-wracking knowing that if he does the smallest incorrect choice it’ll end badly for him. His compliance masks a barely concealed rage until his eventual identity is revealed and he goes about demanding equitable treatment and respect from the white officers who wrongly picked him up.

Every actor has a year where they go full supernova, and 1967 was that year for Poitier. To Sir, With Love and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner were well liked and big moneymakers for their studios, yet his best work that year was in this movie where he was allowed to be a man and not a symbol. Not only does he exhibit grace under pressure but an assertiveness that shakes off the marble statue he was becoming and reveals the flesh underneath.

He's also dynamite with Rod Steiger as Gillespie, the casually racist chief of police in the small town of Sparta, Mississippi. But Steiger more than holds his own against Poitier’s career-defining work. The bulk of the film is about the two career lawmen learning to rely on each other to solve the crime while slowly unpacking their cultural baggage. Steiger’s drunken explication of “Now, don’t you get smart with me, boy” to Poitier is loaded with the nation’s racial history and it comes off a moment of alleged bonding and understanding.

In the Heat of the Night does not offer soothing balm for the country’s tense relations between the races, it is far too pragmatic and smart for that. The ending goodbye at the train station tries to be a portent of hope but coming so soon after the drunken outburst, it positions that Steiger’s chief of police will revert to his old racist ways soon after the train pulls away. People don’t change as cleanly or easily as they do in the movies. They’re more likely to single out one person as the exception, a symbol of the race, that functions as a cudgel to bash the rest. That is the emotional undercurrent of not only the scene, but much of their interactions.

While the murder-mystery is merely window dressing for an exploration of social issues, In the Heat of the Night retains a curious power. Not quite New Hollywood, not quite a studio system product, but an intelligent, nuanced take on the social problem movie. In the Heat of the Night deserved that Oscar. One of the few times when the Academy awarded a movie about racism that isn’t goopy white savior hokum.  

Since this movie won the Academy Award for the Best Picture, I was really eager to check it out but, for some reasons, it took me about 10 years to finally see the damned thing. Well, I can tell you, it was definitely worth the wait and this movie completely deserved its stellar reputation. Indeed, it was such a powerful movie and it is not very often that I saw a movie who felt so historically important. Indeed, there are tons of movies like ‘Philadelphia’ who explores some important issues but at least a decade too late while this movie was made when the segregation was still going strong in the South of the USA. Indeed, the whole thing was just so intense, especially the first half which  was just so spellbinding to behold. It’s interesting that, the very same year, Sidney Poitier made also ‘Guess Who's Coming to Dinner’ which is also considered a classic but this movie felt really outdated but not this one. Indeed, from the moment they find Tibbs waiting for his train, you could feel the tension, the actual clash of 2 different worlds and you could feel that the whole situation might go south at any moment. Eventually, since they put a great focus on the characters,  I don't think that the investigation was anything really amazing though and I believe that the outcome came out pretty much from nowhere. To conclude, in spite of these minor flaws, I think it is a fascinating thriller and it is definitely worth a look.

In the Heat of the Night is a genuine classic and one of the greatest films of the 1960s. The film is a provocative, enthralling mystery thriller that is atmospheric and entertaining.

The years have not dissipated the film's original impact in the slightest. The racial issues conveyed through the discriminatory characters are exact. At the time of the film's release, which was during the time when African Americans were fighting against racism, these were the typical police officers that you'd find on the streets. As one who has studied the decade in detail I can say without a shadow of a doubt that the period is portrayed with a great degree of realism.

In the 60s the film was an accurate representation of the time; now the film is timeless and a nostalgic trip back in time.

Sidney Poitier plays an African American homicide detective named Virgil Tibbs who becomes inadvertently embroiled in the murder investigation of a prominent businessman.

Tibbs is waiting for a train while police are searching for suspects. Due to the high level of racism he is first accused of the crime - then he is asked to solve it! The policemen that Tibbs finds himself working with are very unsupportive due to the colour of his skin. And hence as Tibbs attempts to find the killer it becomes a difficult task. But in order to solve the case they are forced to put their prejudices and differences aside, and join forces in a race against time to uncover the shocking truth.

In the Heat of the Night is a fantastic social commentary of the period of its release; it's also an unforgettable, enduring classic filled with fascinating characters to compliment the intriguing plot.

The experience is atmospheric, funny and engrossing. While watching the film I found it almost impossible to be bored.

Sidney Poitier's performance is triumphant and spellbinding. His character is shown to be smart and proficient when it comes to his profession. Poitier breaks through the conventions and stereotypes of African American characters; presenting the audience with something fresh and innovative. It's a shame the Academy overlooked Poitier for an Oscar.

Rod Steiger earned himself an Oscar for Best Actor as the racist Sherriff of the town of Sparta. There's little wonder as well. The rest of the policemen were conventional but real. At the time these were the people that policed the streets; lazy and quick to blame the closest black person in sight.

In the Heat of the Night delivers thoughtful, intelligent entertainment that is hard to beat. I personally didn't have much interest in watching the film. I ultimately loved it and detract all the negative things that I previously thought about it.

The film is a landmark production that is poignant and accurate. It's entertaining and confronting. Winner of 5 Oscars including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Sound, Best Writing and Best Editing.