In the Heat of the Night

Name: In the Heat of the Night
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Crime
Released: August 3, 1967
Duration: 109 min
Rating: 75
Cast: Lee Grant, Rod Steiger, Sidney Poitier, Warren Oates

1967

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Generally favorable reviews based on 14 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 30 Ratings

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8.0	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 30 Ratings

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In The Heat Of The Night

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Movie Details & Credits

United Artists | Release Date: August 3, 1967 | Approved

Starring: Lee Grant, Rod Steiger, Sidney Poitier, Warren Oates

Summary: An African American police detective is asked to investigate a murder in a racially hostile southern town.

Director: Norman Jewison

Genre(s): Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Crime

Rating: Approved

Runtime: 109 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Wanda Hale

It’s a pleasure, all too rare, to watch two splendid actors pitted against each other with equal force such as Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger in the exceptional murder mystery, In the Heat of the Night. Over the years I remember a few extraordinary cases of this kind - Spencer Tracy and Clark Gable in “San Francisco.” Alec Guinness and Jack Hawkins in “The Prisoner,” Richard Burton and Peter O’Toole in “Becket.” Read full review

Mark Harris

Steiger got the best actor Oscar for his masterful, Method deep-dive portrayal of Gillespie, a man just smart enough to know he's neither as talented as Tibbs nor as ignorant as the people around him. His jaw always working a wad of gum, his beady eyes darting, his blood pressure stroke-level as he spits out orders, he manages to play big without ever splitting the seams of his character. Read full review

Bosley Crowther

But here Norman Jewison has taken a hard, outspoken script, prepared by Stirling Silliphant from an undistinguished novel by John Ball, and, with stinging performances contributed by Rod Steiger as the chief of police and Sidney Poitier as the detective, he has turned it into a film that has the look and sound of actuality and the pounding pulse of truth. Read full review

Tom Huddleston

This is a brisk, well-oiled thriller with blistering performances and a crackling, memorable script. Read full review

John Mahoney

A gripping and suspenseful murder mystery that effects a feeling of greater importance by its veneer of social significance and the illusion of depth in its use of racial color. Read full review

Empire William Thomas

The twist-filled storyline, which digs up nasty secrets all over the show and offers a satisfying range of suspicious suspects and a truly disgusting killer, remains gripping, and the excellent, understated lead performances don't harp on the racial angle in that embarassing fashion which makes so many Socialy Significant films instantly dated. Read full review

Penelope Gilliatt

The film is essentially a primitive rah-rah story about an underdog's triumph over a bully, and in the times that Americans are living through now the things in it that are merely simple seem simplified to the point of odiousness...In the Heat of the Night seems to be made up of a great deal of attitudinizing and very little instinct. [5 Aug 1967, p.64]

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User Reviews

alejandro970

Aug 2, 2018

Sidney Poitier is one of top 10 performances, in the shoes of a detective who shall to solve an intolerance crime, far from home, in an environment full of prejudices. The score of Quince Jones, and the main song of Ray Charles are full delight.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Gamzguy17

Aug 21, 2021

Many state "Star Wars"as the first revolutionary modern film to transform early 20th century filmmaking into what it is today, but one should take a good hard look into this stunning crime-drama that predates the famous sci-fi flick by 10 years. Norman Jewison's marvelous direction andMany state "Star Wars"as the first revolutionary modern film to transform early 20th century filmmaking into what it is today, but one should take a good hard look into this stunning crime-drama that predates the famous sci-fi flick by 10 years. Norman Jewison's marvelous direction and camera work show a beautiful, ugly urban landscape in the American South where an unpredictable mystery plot is taking place; spearheaded by a one-two knockout punch from both Sydney Poitier and Rod Steiger. Poitier in particular, has a way of using body language more so than words. The result is a performance that transcends off the camera, off the screen, and onto your living room floor (or wherever you're watching the film). He is that good. Steiger works as a great contrast to the sophisticated Poitier by making us believe he's a rough caloot who is initially prejudice, but can learn to appreciate others when given the chance/exposure.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

amheretojudge

Jul 2, 2018

a shattering and revealing showdown iterated in a night..

In The Heat Of Night 4 And A Half Out Of 5 In The Heat Of Night is a rare cinematic art that redefines the genre on its own terms and grasps for something that seemed beyond impossible to achieve and that is its maturity ona shattering and revealing showdown iterated in a night..

In The Heat Of Night

4 And A Half Out Of 5

In The Heat Of Night is a rare cinematic art that redefines the genre on its own terms and grasps for something that seemed beyond impossible to achieve and that is its maturity on conveying a message. The scrutiny in here is thought out with each individual character's perspective that makes not only its characters three dimensional but also a more mature and stronger plot that isn't here to merely deliver a nail-biting thriller drama but an all direction view of the black and white aspects of the truth. It may be short on technical aspects like background score, production and art design, but is utterly adequate on editing and cinematography. The adaptive screenplay by Sterling Silliphant is witty, strong, gripping and aware of the characteristics of the characters well enough to keep the audience engaged throughout the course of it and offer them thought-provoking homework, too along with that. Norman Jewison; the director, is in his A game as his pitch on the emotions and the stakes creates the anticipated impact and draws out the best outcomes from the screen. Sidney Poitier is convincing as a protagonist but the real game changer in here is Rod Steiger in his parallel role steals the show with his stellar performance. In The Heat Of Night is a shattering and revealing showdown iterated in a night whose discectomy is just pleasingly ingenious to encounter… Expand

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imthenoob

Feb 22, 2019

Steiger does a great job opposite of Poitier but it's Poitier who really shines in this film. It's a great reflection of the times and shows just how quickly respect can grow if you put aside your differences. Truly great movie, I really enjoyed it.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

DawdlingPoet

Nov 23, 2021

This is very much a film of its time, or so I'd like to say, although it would be naive of me to claim that racism has been utterly removed from the world, or indeed the setting of this film - southern USA. It does well at highlighting the prejudice African Americans faced, regardless ofThis is very much a film of its time, or so I'd like to say, although it would be naive of me to claim that racism has been utterly removed from the world, or indeed the setting of this film - southern USA. It does well at highlighting the prejudice African Americans faced, regardless of their professional occupations or not. Its a sobering watch in parts - the way the local police chief laughs off some of what the African American (Virgil Tibbs) says, ignoring his clearly decent background makes for depressing viewing certainly.

However, there is also prejudice shown towards others in this film, mainly that of womenn. I'd say it does well at highlighting such social issues and is a relatively engrossing watch. I would recommend this film, yes.… Expand

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Mglovesfun

Mar 25, 2020

While the movie makes a good point, it does continuously beat you over the head with it. So much so that it interferes with the same plot. Still, I have to give it credit for style and the performances of the lead actors. If you like plot-driven movies, this is really not for you.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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