In the Heat of the Night

In the Heat of the Night(1967)

PG-13

08/02/1967 (US)Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller1h 49m

7.7

"They got a murder on their hands. They don’t know what to do with it."

Overview

African-American Philadelphia police detective Virgil Tibbs is arrested on suspicion of murder by Bill Gillespie, the racist police chief of tiny Sparta, Mississippi. After Tibbs proves not only his own innocence but that of another man, he joins forces with Gillespie to track down the real killer. Their investigation takes them through every social level of the town, with Tibbs making enemies as well as unlikely friends as he hunts for the truth.

Norman Jewison

Director

Stirling Silliphant

Screenplay

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Part of the Virgil Tibbs Trilogy

In the Heat of the Night is a 1967 American mystery drama film directed by Norman Jewison. It is based on John Ball's 1965 novel of the same name and tells the story of Virgil Tibbs, a black police detective from Philadelphia, who becomes involved in a murder investigation in a small town in Mississippi. It stars Sidney Poitier. The film was followed by two sequels also starring Poitier, They Call Me Mister Tibbs! (1970) and The Organization (1971). It was also the basis of a 1988 television series adaptation of the same name.

Media

Official Trailer

Official Trailer

Trailer

Detective Tibbs Outsmarts the Coroner | In the Heat of the Night (1967) | TCM

Detective Tibbs Outsmarts the Coroner | In the Heat of the Night (1967) | TCM

Clip

"I'm A Police Officer"

"I'm A Police Officer"

Clip

Train Station Scene

Train Station Scene

Clip

Autopsy Scene

Autopsy Scene

Clip

TCM Big Screen Classics 55th Anniversary Spot

TCM Big Screen Classics 55th Anniversary Spot

Teaser

Mr. Tibbs Slaps Endicott

Mr. Tibbs Slaps Endicott

Clip

Laurence Fishburne on IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT

Laurence Fishburne on IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT

Featurette

In the Heat of the Night (1967) Discussion with Lee Grant, Walter Mirisch and Norman Jewison

In the Heat of the Night (1967) Discussion with Lee Grant, Walter Mirisch and Norman Jewison

Featurette

Rod Steiger winning an Oscar® for Best Actor

Rod Steiger winning an Oscar® for Best Actor

Featurette

Social

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A review by GenerationofSwine

10.0

Written on January 11, 2023

I have a love/hate thing for how this ended. It looked good but it was too dark... visually. I think they were going for a source lighting thing and failed a bit. It was realistically dark but not Hollywood viewer in mind dark.

Anyway the bad is out of the way, the good is the performance, it was really Oscar worthy in the truest sense, and the evolution of both the lead character and the supporting cast right down to the town around him was legendary. Subtle, but legendary.

It even had a sense of humor, little jokes in it that were probably added to break the tension, but added in a way that you have to look for them so it doesn't break.

Start to finish it is brilliant.