In the Heat of the Night (1967)

Star Rating: 3
Length of Film: 109 minutes
Director: Norman Jewison
Cast: Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, Warren Oates, Lee Grant, Larry Gates, James Patterson, William Schallert, Beah Richards, Peter Whitney, Kermit Murdock, Larry D. Mann, Matt Clark, Arthur Malet, Fred Stewart, & Quentin Dean
Oscars: Walter Mirisch (best picture), Stirling Silliphant (screenplay), Rod Steiger (actor), Hal Ashby (editing & sound)
Oscar Nominations: Norman Jewison (director), James Richard (special sound effects)



In the Heat of the Night is a movie about racism where a black man, Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier) travels through Sparta, Mississippi, and gets arrested just because he was black. The Sheriff (Rod Steiger) does not believe when Tibbs tells him he's a detective for the Philadelphia Police. Sparta's Sheriff calls the Sheriff in Philly and
he verifies that Tibbs is actually an detective, and suggest that Tibbs stays and helps solve the murder.

This movie was made in 1967, and I viewed the movie in 2012. Its been 45 years, and the movie made me very uncomfortable with all the racism. If this movie made my uncomfortable in 2012, I couldn't imagine sitting through the movie in 1967. I am so glad that the director and screenplay won an Oscar, because they did a great job showing the audience what racism looks like in the deep  south. The greatest part, was that the black man was comfortable, civil, and polite to the white community, but it was the whites who were complete asses to Tibbs.

It was interesting that the director went with this angle, that the innocent party was the black man. They could've easily sided with the whites, but they didn't. WAAAY  risky for 1967, I applaud them for their bravery. The mystery behind the murder is pretty weak, but  all the racism stuff is worth watching. I approve that this movie made the list of 1,001 Movies You Must See Before You Die.