Best Picture Winner: 1967

In the Heat of the Night (1967)

Officer Sam Wood (Warren Oates) is on patrol one night when he comes upon the body of Philip Colbert, a wealthy industrialist who was going to bring many jobs to Sparta, Mississippi. Looking for suspects Wood comes upon Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier), a lone black man waiting in the train station to return to Philadelphia. Tibbs is arrested, for no reason except for his race, and presented to Police Chief Bill Gillespie (Rod Steiger) as the likely killer. But Gillespie is shocked to learn that Tibbs is a well-paid homicide detective in the City of Brotherly Love. What’s more, Tibbs’ Captain suggests that Tibbs help out on the investigation. A black man investigating murder does not sit well with many citizens of Sparta.

Effective as a mystery/drama, In the Heat of the Night gets its real strength from the racial subplot and the sparks that fly between Poitier and Steiger. Or perhaps it’s fairer to say that the mystery is the subplot, and the real reason to see this culturally important film is to witness a turning point in cinema. As Tibbs is investigating the murder he politely insinuates that a rival of Colbert’s had a strong motive for committing the crime. The outwardly racist Eric Endicott (Larry Gates) slaps Tibbs across the face. Tibbs responds in kind. Gates, virtually in tears, tells Tibbs there was a time he would have been shot for something like that. Even after 40 years, that scene packs a wallop.

It’s shocking to see that a man, minding his own business quietly waiting for a train, could be arrested for absolutely no reason except for his skin color. And even though that, today, there are strict laws against such things, we continue to read about such things happening. As a result, In the Heat of the Night feels as relevant as ever, and is a wake up call to what minorities continue to face in certain areas of this country and the world at large.

That Tibbs has come to accept this type of treatment is even more chilling. He calmly submits to being searched, accused, and dragged to police headquarters, which results in him missing his train. He’s called “Boy” and worse constantly. He’s assaulted at least twice. But Tibbs keeps his cool and dignity, and earns respect from Gillespie, himself something of an outcast as the Chief nobody wants. Poitier and Steiger are excellent and they crackle during several heated exchanges. Steiger won an Oscar for his role.

The mystery itself is engrossing enough, with Tibbs stunning the authorities with his knowledge of forensics and powers of deductive reasoning. He finds proof why a prime suspect (arrested after Tibbs is cleared) could not have committed the murder but meets with resistance. The problem plot wise though is how muddled the time line becomes. We’re not clearly told who was where when the murder occurred and the villain turns out to be someone who appeared to have an alibi. It feels a bit of a cheat. (Of course it’s possible I missed something that was said or established early in the movie. A second viewing may necessitate a reassessment on this point.)

But In the Heat of the Night succeeds because the tension is not really generated by whether Tibbs will solve the crime but rather will he survive the investigation. In the Heat of the Night remains a riveting drama about racism that, sadly, could just as easily been made last year.