Rating: 
Summary: An all-time favorite
Review: One of my favorite movies ever. I have watched this movie dozens of times and never tire of it. It is truly great and deserving of all the awards it received.
Rating:
Summary: An all-time favorite
Review: One of my favorite movies ever. I have watched this movie dozens of times and never tire of it. It is truly great and deserving of all the awards it received.
Rating:
Summary: Great film
Review: One of the decade's best Oscar winning films (but lamentably, not for its true star, Sidney Poitier). those who only know the television series which is tepid by comparison have really missed out. It is a marvelous study in race relations, driven by two of the best performances ever by Sidney Poitier (portraying a Philadelphia homicide detective called a "powerful piece of po-lice manpower by Rod Steiger, as the redneck sheriff of a small Mississippi town). They are thrust together when confronted with the murder of the most influential man in town.For some, the confronting of race in this film does not seem as dated as another reviewer suggests. It is fascinating to see Poitier, one of the only African American stars of the time play a role here in such contrast to his roles as a most polite, non threatening Negro in "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and "To Sir, With Love". We can tell this is a different kind of man, from the first time he confronts the Sheriff. When asked if he will be the cause of any trouble, his response "no trouble at all" is delivered with quiet but chilling self- assuredness that lets everyone know that even in the Sheriff's office, HE is the one in control. There is one interesting change of the original script. Legend has it that the script originally called for Poitier's character to stoically accept a slap in the face from an old Southerner he's questioning admirably portrayed by William Schallert). Poitier opined that it would be a much more powerful scene in instead of turning the other cheek, he returned the same slap. He did, and made it one of the more powerful moments in the film. Great quotable movie line, exclaimed by Rod Steiger: "I got the motive which is money and the body which is dead!" Super supporting cast, including the aforementioned Schallert, Warren Oates, Scott Wilson, and Lee Grant. Its great right down to the title song, sung with more soul than can be contained in any one man - save Ray Charles. A movie to be seen time and time again, and certainly one for the library.
Rating:
Summary: Two Greats Mesmerize Film Audiences
Review: Rare and exciting events in cinema annals occur when two great performers are at the top of their craft and are drawn by each other's energy to scale soaring heights. This occurred in David Lean's "The Bridge on the River Kwai" with Alec Guinness and Sessue Hayakawa. It happened again with Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine in "Sleuth" after, as the latter actor noted, he told his co-star at the film's outset, "Take your best shot, Larry!"
The same kind of brilliant one-on-one chemistry emerged in the 1967 classic produced by Walter Mirisch and directed by Norman Jewison, "In the Heat of the Night." From the very outset, when Sidney Poitier as a visitor to a small rural Mississippi town is arrested by enthusiastic deputy Warren Oates as he sits on a train station bench, believing that he has solved a recently committed murder, viewers were aware that this film contains a special kind of magic. Oates eagerly takes Poitier to the police station and presents his murder suspect to his boss, the town's police chief played by Rod Steiger.
It is a very small rural town buried deep in racial stereotypical tradition. When Poitier is spotted on a bench awaiting the next train after a wealthy northern white man has been murdered, it is assumed that the stranger is guilty. Both Steiger and Oates receive a tremendous jolt when the well dressed Poitier explains that not only is he a visitor from the northeast, specifically Philadelphia, who was preparing to leave town after visiting his mother; he is a top homicide officer from the major eastern city who makes considerably more money more than Steiger.
The interesting character to observe for the film's character arc is Steiger. While a police chief in a small town deeply rooted in a segregationist past, he immediately demonstrates not only a pragmatic willingness to adapt that is not evident in his deputies and others in town; he exhibits ethical fairness when it comes to evaluating Poitier. He concludes that Poitier possesses an expertise for shrewd murder investigation that none of the members of his force, including himself, possess.
Considering the controversy of using an African American detective from the northeast to solve a local case, the issue becomes a hot potato for Steiger. The deciding element becomes Lee Grant, widow of the murdered man, who was a rich northern manufacturer planning to build a factory in town amid great controversy. Grant concludes that solving her husband's death will be greatly enhanced by Poitier heading the investigation.
The decision is naturally a controversial one and town bullies immediately seek to attack Poitier, who is assisted by Steiger, to the fury of the racist element, that feels Steiger is a traitor to his race and class. Two strong men from different backgrounds and cultures, there is a natural clash between Poitier and Steiger, but the film's ultimate message of hope is that the latter is able to learn and put past prejudices behind him in the pursuit of justice.
In the most memorable clash between the two men, occurring early in the film, Poitier responds with the most single memorable line of his distinguished movie career. When, after Poitier has been referred to as "boy" with great frequency and is asked by Steiger what he is called among his colleagues in Philadelphia, he stiffens with determination, stares determinedly at Steiger, and emphatically responds:
"They call me Mr. Tibbs!"
As the film progresses and the hunt for the killer intensifies, we learn that Steiger is a natural outsider within the small town he serves as chief of police. Like Poitier he is married to his job, as both are bachelors. When he invites the African American visitor inside his house one evening the chief of police reveals that Poitier is treading where townsfolk do not. Steiger is a man dominated by privacy.
Steiger won a highly deserved "Best Actor" Oscar for his brilliant portrayal, assisted by the powerful work done by Poitier, who had secured an Academy Award less than five years earlier for the 1963 release "Lillies of the Field." In addition to Steiger's award, the film was honored as "Best Picture" while Stirling Silliphant won in the "Best Screenplay" category and Hal Ashby took home the Oscar for "Best Editor".
In addition to being a powerful visual experience, "In the Heat of the Night" is also memorable for Quincy Jones's brilliant musical score with Ray Charles opening the film on a brilliant note by singing the film's title song.
Rating:
Summary: Two Great Actors in a Great Movie
Review: Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger almost set the screen afire in this film that deservedly won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1967. Superbly directed by Norman Jewison, the movie brings us into deepest Mississippi one summer midnight, when a northern industrialist with plans to build a new factory is found murdered in the middle of Sparta's main street. At the same time, Virgil Tibbs, a black detective from Los Angeles, is waiting at the station for the train that will take him back home from visiting his mother. This being Mississippi, and a black man out after dark, it must have been the black man who committed the murder, right? Tibbs is hauled into the sheriff's office and brought face to face with Bill Gillespie, the epitome of every redneck law officer south of the Mason-Dixon Line. Gillespie's reaction to Tibbs is first contempt (this is a black man after all), suspicion at his full wallet ("Boy, that's more in a week than I make in a month, now where did you earn that?"), and finally shock, when Tibbs hurls the response into his face, "I'm a police officer." Gillespie is further stunned to realize that Tibbs' contempt for him is at least as great as his for Tibbs, when he hears Tibbs telling his superiors over the phone "They got a murder on their hands, they don't know what to do with it." Tibbs' boss volunteers Tibbs's services as a homicide expert to Gillespie, who doesn't particularly want to accept, but he doesn't have much of a choice; the industrialist's widow says if her husband's murder isn't solved and fast, there won't be any factory anywhere. The resulting reluctant partnership between the two men is a pairing unlike any seen on screen; they resent each other but they can't solve the crime without each other; Gillespie needs Tibbs' expertise, and Tibbs needs Gillespie's protection from the local rednecks who want him dead. The movie wonderfully evokes the atmosphere of a small town in the deep south, the abject poverty in which most of the blacks in the area lived, and the attitudes of the whites in town that made it dangerous for any black man to stand tall as a man. At the movie's end, Gillespie hasn't changed his views about blacks, but he has come to respect Tibbs as a lawman and as a human being; and Tibbs comes to realize that inside of Gillespie's hardshell racist attitudes is a decent man struggling to show himself. The acting, the directing, and above all, Quincy Jones's magnificent score, made this one of the best movies of the 1960's and for years beyond.
Rating:
Summary: Poitier is quitly stunning
Review: Sidney Poitier performance in In the heat of the night is about as spellbinding as marvolus on screen preformenes get. It's because of his performance and {the rest of the cast's acting} that makes up of most of In the heat of the night's entertainment.
Rating:
Summary: Good Story, Great Acting, Important Themes
Review: The Story: Sidney Poitier is a sophisticated Philadelphia detective who ends up helping a redneck Sheriff, Rod Steiger, solve a murder in Steiger's Southern town. The Acting: Poitier and Steiger play characters that are extremely different but much more alike than either character would care to admit. Poitier is all control, nervous energy, suppressed intensity, brilliance, and a dedication to his job that borders on obsession. Steiger is angry, loud, opinionated, bigoted, brilliant, and possessing a dedication to his job that borders on obsession. Commentary: The story is actually not secondary to the acting; it's tertiary to the acting and the issues of racism, tolerance, and respect. Poitier and Steiger both gave Oscar-level performances that any actor would be proud to claim. Not a pretty movie, but a quality one, definitely.
Rating:
Summary: Rod Steiger At His Best ! ! !
Review: There is always something about a film that any person finds appealing; You might be totally consumed with the story, or the music, or even ironic twists in the plot. It could even be the costumes, or the dialogue that captures your endless attention. For me, in this film, it was the acting of Rod Steiger. He was approached before the film, and told that if he could put on a nice belly, he could win an award in this movie. For a month, he sat and ate pecan pies until the belly was plump enough to partner with the slightly tight shirt, orange tinted sun glasses, officers hat, arms of bulging iron, and that endless sweat on his forehead that made him into the mississippi sheriff that no one can forget after viewing this movie. Rod Steigers performance was quite remarkable, and commands the observant viewers respect and admiration. When he was ready to go into a rage at anyone who pulled his strings too tight, there was that momentary pause, where his gum almost exploded in his mouth, his forehead looked like every blood vessel would burst, and his face was turned away as he waited for the person to stop irritating him. oh, how well he did it. How much gum did they go through for this movie, we will never know. Taking nothing away from the remainder of the cast, Gilespie is the center of the story, as he mirrors the racial bias of the remainder of the town, but over time, comes to appreciate and respect Virgil. Gilespie has to fight his inherit racial bias in order to see that Virgil is correct in his approach, and execution of the criminal investigation. How dare anyone come to his town, and do his job better, especially a black man from the north. You can credit Sidney Poitier for his performance as well, but for the most part, he silently consumed all the anger and racial hatred with little response. His strength in this film is his restraint in situations where anyone else would have little tolerance. Rod Steiger had a much stronger role, and was able to act more demonsterativly, as he was the white sheriff in the white southern town, silently commanding respect from the towns residents, but never over doing it. This film was made at a time when racial barriers needed to be brought down. It was most effective, and was appreciated by many for its message. In this country, and in this world, the same message needs to be learned. It is unfortunate that we need to study history to keep from making the same mistakes over again. Thank goodness there are films like this one, and others like Mississippi Burning that point out selective hatred and bias in our society, and teach us where we can go wrong. Two thumbs up for a daring story line, and command performances from some of Hollywood's great actors. When the Academy gives out awards for best picture, they have their reasons. Sometimes they are wrong, but in this case, they were so right.
Rating: 
Summary: "They call me MISTER Tibbs!"
Review: There's an entire generation out there who grew up knowing "In the Heat of the Night" only as a television series. Hopefully, some of them will track down this film to see how superior it is to its television counterpart. Some of the images and messages director Norman Jewison tried to get across may seem out of step with the current times but the film still should be seen so that the twin performances by Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger can be admired. Steiger plays Bill Gillespie, a police chief in the deep South in the 1960's. The dead body of a prominent businessman turns up one night and Virgil Tibbs (Poitier) is pegged as the murderer while waiting for a train out of town. It turns out that Tibbs is actually a fellow police officer from Philadelphia who is an expert in the type of investigation he was just falsely accused of. The businessman's widow demands that Tibbs be kept on her husband's case and Gillespie is forced to adhere to her demands. Both men develop an admiration for the other as the investigation progresses and manage to overcome their prejudices despite the pressures being exerted on them by their surroundings. As a police thriller, "In the Heat of the Night" seems rather pedestrian by today's standards. It's murder mystery may have seemed fresh thirty years ago but current day soap operas and prime-time police dramas have diluted its impact in showcasing similar storylines. Yet, the film still maintains a power to it in its snapshot portrayal of this country at a turbulent time when the color of a person's skin triggered passionate feelings. Steiger won a richly-deserved Academy Award for his performance but it is Poitier's performance that lingers in the public consciousness to this day. "In the Heat of the Night" will always be referred to as a "Poitier film" and will remain a cherished entry in his filmography.
Rating:
Summary: Superbly Portrayed Mid-Sixties Prejudice
Review: This milestone 1967 racial commentary spawned two sequels and a long-running TV show, and won that year's Best Picture Oscar. Sidney Poitier plays Virgil Tibbs, a Philadelphia homicide expert visiting family in Sparta, Mississippi. When a Northern industrialist is found dead, Tibbs is immediately arrested to confront Police Chief Bill Gillespie (Best Actor Oscar-winner Rod Steiger), who, after learning Tibbs' credentials and calling his chief, must grudgingly accept Tibbs' help in solving the murder. Steiger's performance as the dedicated chief is brilliant ("I am familiar with the laws in the state of Mississippi, thank YOU!), as he somewhat breaks the film stereotype of Southern sheriffs. However, Warren Oates' superb portrayal of Deputy Sam Wood reinforces those stereotypes; so much so that the disgusted widow (Lee Grant) asks, "What kind of place is this? Who are you people." What follows is the pair's struggle to work together despite tremendous opposition from the town. In one memorable scene, Tibbs exchanges slaps in the face with the white owner of Endicott Cotton, who compares his fragile plants to "the Negro," in that they "need special care." Endicott is Sparta's most influential businessman who'd least appreciate an influx of Afro-American labor. As Tibbs brilliantly eliminates suspects, backtracks, and continually re-evaluates evidence, his time is running short as his sophisticated detective efforts begin to pay off.
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