In the Heat of the Night
Norman Jewison
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Plot Summary
Sidney Poitier, in one of his most-celebrated roles, appears as Virgil Tibbs, a Philadelphia homicide detective who, while visiting a small Mississippi town, will find himself falsely arrested for the murder and then, in a strained collaboration with the town's sheriff (Rod Steiger), stays on to help solve the murder. Steiger's town is a backward "redneck" Southern burg whose population includes an aristocratic racist, the eccentric owner of a fly-infested diner, exceptionally stupid cops, young thugs who beat people up for the fun of it and a young woman who provocatively cools herself by standing nude at her window. When the murder is finally solved Poitier and Steiger will part with reserve and distance, but with enormous respect for each other. Norman Jewison directed.
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Director
Screenwriter
Producer
Rotten Tomatoes Movie Reviews
TOMATOMETER
94%- Reviews Counted: 36
- Fresh: 34
- Rotten: 2
- Average Rating: 8.1/10
Top Critics' Reviews
Fresh: A film that has the look and sound of actuality and the pounding pulse of truth.
Fresh: No deep solutions are suggested in this subtle and meticulously observed study. Yet Director Norman Jewison has used his camera to extract a cer tain rough-cut beauty from each protagonist.
Fresh: An excellent Sidney Poitier performance, and an outstanding one by Rod Steiger, overcome some noteworthy flaws to make In The Heat of the Night an absorbing contemporary murder drama.
Fresh: A decent piece of do-good cinema.
Customer Reviews
A film about its time
This is a truly classic movie. Not just because of the story and how it plays out, which is compelling enough, but also the quality of the acting. You can tell it was a 1967 movie, though, and there's the irony inherent in it, given its theme. The white supporting actor won an oscar, and the black leading actor didn't. They both should have.
Great movie
this is a classic must see! I'm very impressed that iTunes even had this movie
Classic American struggle between race, class and expectations
This is an amazing movie to demonstrate the changing attitudes towards race and class in the 1960s, any student of modern history would be advised to watch, analyze and learn from this triumph of cinema.
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- Genre: Drama
- Released: 2001
- © 1967 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. All rights reserved.