In the Heat of the Night (1967)
Gillespie: You look at bodies all the time in Philadelphia. Why can't you look at this one?
Tibbs: Why can't you look at it for yourself?
Gillespie: Because I'm not an expert. OFFICER!
"They called me MISTER TIBBS." Testify!!
What a thoroughly enjoyable cinematic experience for my first watch.
Two giants, Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger are at the top of their game and acting in this small Mississippi town, Sparta.
LOOVED the locale shots of this, well, Tough Guy Buddy Cop film, lol, But it is not a knock against this terse, realistic detective tale immersed in volatile Southern Racism of the time.
Poitier plays an astute Homicide detective from Philadelphia waiting for a train, arrested by Warren Oates' Sam Wood for the murder of a significant investor in the town. When Tibbs' credentials and innocence are confirmed, Rod Steiger's dead-on portrayal of Sheriff Gillespie reluctantly takes a dangerous but necessary road of getting his assistance when his surefire guilty suspects are proven innocent by Tibbs' detective skills.
Along with several pleasant surprises in secondary roles, Lee Grant did a formidable job as the victim's strong-willed widow.
THANK YOU to whoever chose this!!