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Plot - A man is murdered in a small Mississippi town. A man of great importance to the town as he was to bring a new factory to the area. As a result it's imperitive that the culprit is caught, meaning that when the police come across a black man trying to get out of town their eyes practically light up. Except this particular black man, Virgil Tibbs (Poitier), is a police detective from Philadelphia, a homicide expert. Despite the reluctance of Tibbs and the local police chief, Gillespie (Steiger), both man are cajoled into joining forces to solve the murder. Except in this racist town Tibbs isn't going to have it easy.
This is a tense, intelligent thriller; thought-provoking and electrifying. A film which encompasses some character portraits, a look at the issue of racism and a murder mystery complete with several tense moments.
What really drives this picture is the relationship between Tibbs and Gillespie. Clashing right from the off, with neither man set to back down, their scenes together crackle with chemistry. Their eventual connection of a sort does not come about as a result of simple, kumbaya moment of realisation that we really are no different and we should all be nice to each other. Instead what the characters connect over is a shared loneliness, neither man seems to really fit into society all that easily. They are both very flawed men who are so driven by the job that it sabotages any chance of a social life. Gillespie is obstinate, Tibbs arrogant; both self-righteous. This leads to a great, and ultimately very sad scene, were the two men are sitting together in Gillespie's home. Just as we think they are about to have a breakthrough in their relationship as Tibbs reaches out, Gillespie shuts down, resorting to racist rhetoric - “Don't get smart black boy...no pity, thank you.” and leaves the room. It's as if he has just realised he has reached out and made himself vulnerable to this man whom he would usually treat like trash, and feels the needs to put him in his place again.
And to fulfil two such interesting characters we thankfully have two actors who do it perfectly. Poitier just brings such a immensely cool presence to Tibbs, convincing us of the characters intelligence and dedication, while also owning his arrogance. We get the feeling that he is just simmering away inside and could explode at any moment, and yet he is able to seemingly keep his cool no matter the situation. Despite having a whole town against him he continues to do his job, and do it with a proud strength. The only time were he loses his cool is with Endicott, a man who more than any other symbolises all the problems of the time. And then you have Rod Steiger's terrific, Oscar-winning portrayal of Gillespie. His is a small town sheriff, inexperienced when it comes to dealing with a case of murder, especially when it concerns such an important individual. As a result he knows that Tibbs' input would be helpful, perhaps even necessary if a successful outcome is to be reached in the investigation. He gives a convincing and complex performance which really draws you in.
Outside of Poitier and Siegel the cast is populated with a series of colourful characters brought to life by vivid performances. From Lee Grant's hysterical widower to Larry Gates' despicable Endicott, Scott Wilson's slimy criminal to Warren Oates' voyeuristic cop it is a truly fine ensemble effort.
What I think is the film's most impressive feat is the way in which it deals with racism. It doesn't dwell upon the racist angle to the point were it just becomes annoying and preachy, and is handled in a believable fashion. It doesn't rely heavily on the kind of cliché scenes that usually populate a 'social message' film. For the most part it shows the racism being fuelled by fear, ignorance and jealousy, rather than just plain hatred. Gillespie is not just an out and out bigot but a layered individual. He treats Tibbs with a mix of distrust and disdain due to the colour of his skin, but that is seemingly conflicted with a sense of begrudging respect down Tibbs' standing as a police officer. With such an interesting character, and a fine performance from Steiger I actually found myself king of liking the guy by the end. What also works nicely is how it shows that the racism and unfair judgement is not just one sided. Tibbs is also guilty of judging and condemning someone when it comes to Endicott. It's quite clear that the man disgusts Tibbs, and it's not coincidence that in Tibbs' eyes he is far and away the no.1 suspect in the murder.
And the film doesn't shy away from the truly dark elements of racism, showing just how white people treated black people. It really is quite shocking when you remember that this was less than 50 years ago, and occurs in that great 'land of the free' called America. Indeed racism was still such a problem at the time and this film so controversial that it couldn't even be filmed in the Deep South. Instead they had to substitute Illinois in for Mississippi. I have to say I was half expecting the race element of the film to take precedent over the actual plot but to be fair it's actually a very satisfying little mystery, full of twists and red herrings. At no point was I ever confident that I knew where the film was heading. With a series of strong suspects and motives it's a gripping whodunnit which does not get lost amongst the racial and character elements. And at no point do the twists and turns feel forced, they all feel logical when they are revealed. It really is a sharply written, very impressive script.
This film has to be one of the best I've seen in a while when it comes to creating a terrific atmosphere. Right from the opening titles we are immersed into this swampy, muggy Deep South world of heat and sweat. A world where the claustrophobic town and its inhabitants are made to feel very real. And Quincy Jones' brooding, bluesy jazz score and Haskell Wexler's photography just add the finishing touches when it comes to helping to bring it all to life.
Conclusion - An immensely impressive film led by two standout performances which is able to work on a number of levels.
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Year of release
1967
1967
Directed by
Norman Jewison
Norman Jewison
Written by
Stirling Silliphant (script)
John Ball (novel)
Stirling Silliphant (script)
John Ball (novel)
Starring
Sidney Poitier
Rod Steiger
Warren Oates
Lee Grant
Sidney Poitier
Rod Steiger
Warren Oates
Lee Grant
In the Heat of the Night
+
Plot - A man is murdered in a small Mississippi town. A man of great importance to the town as he was to bring a new factory to the area. As a result it's imperitive that the culprit is caught, meaning that when the police come across a black man trying to get out of town their eyes practically light up. Except this particular black man, Virgil Tibbs (Poitier), is a police detective from Philadelphia, a homicide expert. Despite the reluctance of Tibbs and the local police chief, Gillespie (Steiger), both man are cajoled into joining forces to solve the murder. Except in this racist town Tibbs isn't going to have it easy.
This is a tense, intelligent thriller; thought-provoking and electrifying. A film which encompasses some character portraits, a look at the issue of racism and a murder mystery complete with several tense moments.
What really drives this picture is the relationship between Tibbs and Gillespie. Clashing right from the off, with neither man set to back down, their scenes together crackle with chemistry. Their eventual connection of a sort does not come about as a result of simple, kumbaya moment of realisation that we really are no different and we should all be nice to each other. Instead what the characters connect over is a shared loneliness, neither man seems to really fit into society all that easily. They are both very flawed men who are so driven by the job that it sabotages any chance of a social life. Gillespie is obstinate, Tibbs arrogant; both self-righteous. This leads to a great, and ultimately very sad scene, were the two men are sitting together in Gillespie's home. Just as we think they are about to have a breakthrough in their relationship as Tibbs reaches out, Gillespie shuts down, resorting to racist rhetoric - “Don't get smart black boy...no pity, thank you.” and leaves the room. It's as if he has just realised he has reached out and made himself vulnerable to this man whom he would usually treat like trash, and feels the needs to put him in his place again.
And to fulfil two such interesting characters we thankfully have two actors who do it perfectly. Poitier just brings such a immensely cool presence to Tibbs, convincing us of the characters intelligence and dedication, while also owning his arrogance. We get the feeling that he is just simmering away inside and could explode at any moment, and yet he is able to seemingly keep his cool no matter the situation. Despite having a whole town against him he continues to do his job, and do it with a proud strength. The only time were he loses his cool is with Endicott, a man who more than any other symbolises all the problems of the time. And then you have Rod Steiger's terrific, Oscar-winning portrayal of Gillespie. His is a small town sheriff, inexperienced when it comes to dealing with a case of murder, especially when it concerns such an important individual. As a result he knows that Tibbs' input would be helpful, perhaps even necessary if a successful outcome is to be reached in the investigation. He gives a convincing and complex performance which really draws you in.
Outside of Poitier and Siegel the cast is populated with a series of colourful characters brought to life by vivid performances. From Lee Grant's hysterical widower to Larry Gates' despicable Endicott, Scott Wilson's slimy criminal to Warren Oates' voyeuristic cop it is a truly fine ensemble effort.
What I think is the film's most impressive feat is the way in which it deals with racism. It doesn't dwell upon the racist angle to the point were it just becomes annoying and preachy, and is handled in a believable fashion. It doesn't rely heavily on the kind of cliché scenes that usually populate a 'social message' film. For the most part it shows the racism being fuelled by fear, ignorance and jealousy, rather than just plain hatred. Gillespie is not just an out and out bigot but a layered individual. He treats Tibbs with a mix of distrust and disdain due to the colour of his skin, but that is seemingly conflicted with a sense of begrudging respect down Tibbs' standing as a police officer. With such an interesting character, and a fine performance from Steiger I actually found myself king of liking the guy by the end. What also works nicely is how it shows that the racism and unfair judgement is not just one sided. Tibbs is also guilty of judging and condemning someone when it comes to Endicott. It's quite clear that the man disgusts Tibbs, and it's not coincidence that in Tibbs' eyes he is far and away the no.1 suspect in the murder.
And the film doesn't shy away from the truly dark elements of racism, showing just how white people treated black people. It really is quite shocking when you remember that this was less than 50 years ago, and occurs in that great 'land of the free' called America. Indeed racism was still such a problem at the time and this film so controversial that it couldn't even be filmed in the Deep South. Instead they had to substitute Illinois in for Mississippi. I have to say I was half expecting the race element of the film to take precedent over the actual plot but to be fair it's actually a very satisfying little mystery, full of twists and red herrings. At no point was I ever confident that I knew where the film was heading. With a series of strong suspects and motives it's a gripping whodunnit which does not get lost amongst the racial and character elements. And at no point do the twists and turns feel forced, they all feel logical when they are revealed. It really is a sharply written, very impressive script.
This film has to be one of the best I've seen in a while when it comes to creating a terrific atmosphere. Right from the opening titles we are immersed into this swampy, muggy Deep South world of heat and sweat. A world where the claustrophobic town and its inhabitants are made to feel very real. And Quincy Jones' brooding, bluesy jazz score and Haskell Wexler's photography just add the finishing touches when it comes to helping to bring it all to life.
Conclusion - An immensely impressive film led by two standout performances which is able to work on a number of levels.