In the Heat of the Night
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Movie Reviews of In the Heat of the Night
Movie Review: "They call me Mr. Tibbs!"
Summary: 5 Stars
I remember growing up watching the television series "In the Heat of the Night" with my parents before bed every night, but I saw this film for the first time last night, and when I heard Ray Charles singing the theme song I was flooded with good memories. Now I have to say, this film is damn near perfect. It has all the elements for a great film, from a riviting storyline, great acting and interesting charactors. Sidney Poitier plays Virgil Tibbs, an African-American cop who's falsly arrested for the murder of a rich white man. Virgil was visiting his mother in a small Mississippi town of Sparta when the bigot sherrif accuses him of murder. After revieling his identity his services are offered since he works homicide and may be able to help solve the murder. From that point on we watch as the town fights to kick Virgil out, and we see Sherrif Bill Gillespie (played by Rod Steiger in his Oscar winning role) learn to accept Virgil. Theres a scene where Virgil and Bill are drinking and talking in Bill's home and Bill is talking about how he has no one, no kids, no wife, no friends, and you start to see him as the man he is and not the bigot he was. This is far more than just a movie about murder, it's a movie about acceptance and change and how one town, brought up with one way of thinking can change that way when they realize their faults. It's great to see how Virgil goes from the outcast to the respected partner. Sidney and Rod are great together here, as is Lee Grant as the widow, who in her two short scenes shows enough feeling and emotion to earn her a Golden Globe nod...and the scene where she learns of her husbands misfortune is acting at it's greatest. Brilliant movie!Movie Review: It's all in the acting
Summary: 5 Stars
Oh, there's a message delivered in IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT, but the movie is much more than that message. I know the standard take is that Rod Steiger's character is a racist who slowly begins to see the light, I don't think that's quite right. He's really not a bad guy, but he's lived in a small southern town all his life and he's never had to confront the laissez-faire racism that existed at that time (and may still). The rich family owns the town, the whites kowtow to them and the blacks are down on the next level. He's never thought twice about calling a black man "Boy." Spending a couple of days with Virgil Tibbs opens his eyes to what a man (black or white) can be if he's allowed to be what he wants to be. But even still, the movie is not that simple. It's so non-PC. Virgil Tibbs is ruled by his pride. Not only does he never back down, he never acknowledges that Sherriff Gillespie is undergoing a transformation and he is on his side. Meanwhile, Sherriff Gillespie can't resist in maintaining his own pose. He constantly taunts Tibbs by calling him "Vir-gil." Tibbs and Gillespie are two great characters and they are brought to life by two amazing performances. At the end of the movie, there are no tearful good-byes, no admissions of misguided behavior, not even a handshake, but there is an unspoken understanding that something has happened and the two of them are better off because of it. When Tibbs boards the train and walks down the aisle, you can feel the stress leaving his body. It's as if he took in a deep breath at the beginning of the movie and has been finally allowed to exhale.Movie Review: This Heat Is Aflame
Summary: 5 Stars
Not only is this late '60's film a great detective story but it is also about racism and bigotry. Mr Tibbs, a homicide investigator from Philadelphia, finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation from being in the wrong place at the wrong time and for being black in a small Mississipi town filled with white supremicist crazies. After being cleared of the murder, the sherrif ropes Mr Tibbs into the hunt for the real murderer as he is clearly the only competent policeman in town. But his being black is a constant hinderance. The common townfolk want to run him out of town or worse; suspects slap him for being an "uppity nigger" (not a direct quote), and many residents are nostalgic for the old days when they could have just shot him and be done with it.
But racism isn't all this film is about. Every character, even Mr Tibbs, have their own prejudices which affect their ability to solve the case. But at the end some characters do change in their point of view.
The acting is sublime. Sidney Portior's Mr Tibbs grits his teeth at all the hopeless racism about him, but gets on with the job despite or because of it. Rod Steiger's character is a run straight through type of guy, but Steiger finds something else in him that peeks through; a kind of humanity underneath the lunacy.
In The Heat Of The Night must have had a powerful affect on cinema goers of the time and I don't think it has yet lost its punch. We still inhabit a World filled with prejudice, racism and bigotry. White supremicists, religious extremists, they're still here.
Movie Review: Powerful intense drama with two legends in the lead
Summary: 5 Stars
In the Heat of the Night tells the story of crime and punishment in the 1960's South. With racial tensions brewing we learn that the facts of a murder case aren't all black and white. The views of the individual often color their interpretation of the story.
Rod Steiger plays Sheriff Gillespie; a small-town cop trying to crack the case of the murder of a to close the case quickly, he soon brings in Virgil Tibbs (played by Sidney Potier) for questioning. It turns out MISTER Tibbs is actually a Philadelphia police homicide expert visiting his mother. On their quest to find the killer both men are forced to deal with their racist views about the other and their perceptions of society overall. The plot has many twists and turns; and the real killer's motivation for the committing is truly a surprise worth waiting for.
Rod Steiger and Sidney Potier give powerful performances, each scene they're in together brews with intensity. You feel every emotion as they virtually disappear into the background and let Gillespie and Tibbs come to life to tell their story. Steiger won the Oscar for best actor that year; it was well deserved. The opening song by Ray Charles sets the tone for the entire movie the slow tense down home beats take you into the Deep South and transplant you back to the 1960's.
Overall a Shawn James five star essential movie. This one is a must buy. It truly is worth the purchase price. While you're buying this, get Potier's version of A Raisin in the Sun and A Patch of Blue and see one of the legendary black actors show you how its done.
Movie Review: Superbly Portrayed Mid-Sixties Prejudice
Summary: 5 Stars
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.