In the Heat of the Night

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  • Trailer 1

Movie Info & Cast

Director:

Norman Jewison

Producer:

Walter Mirisch

Writer:

Stirling Silliphant, John Ball

Release Date:

Aug 2, 1967

Runtime:

1hr 50m

Synopsis

A black Philadelphia police detective is mistakenly suspected of a local murder while passing through a racially hostile Mississippi town, and after being cleared is reluctantly asked by the police chief to investigate the case.

Cast

  • Sidney Poitier
  • Rod Steiger
  • Warren Oates
  • Lee Grant
  • Larry Gates
  • James Patterson
  • William Schallert
  • Beah Richards
  • Peter Whitney
  • Kermit Murdock

Letterboxd User Reviews

4.0
143.4K
73.6K
40.2K
RATINGS 371 FANS
4.0
  • Sep 20, 2013

    The one thing that I think is overlooked about In The Heat Of The Night is that it is not just about racism. Even back in 1967, a time of desperately needed political and social upheaval, director Norman Jewison was keen to make this film more than just 'Sidney Poitier…

    1.8K Likes
    🇵🇱 Steve G 🐝
    🇵🇱 Steve G 🐝
    Jun 2, 2020

    sidney poitier said: ill smack this racist plantation owner’s face so hard it’s gonna sound like a screenshot

    1.6K Likes
    p e r s i a 🍒
    p e r s i a 🍒
    Aug 10, 2018

    This film earned its Best Picture win the moment Sidney Poitier slapped a previous slave owner in the face.

    981 Likes
    Jacky
    Jacky
  •
    Apr 30, 2020

    wanted to punch nearly every single person in the face who wasn't sidney poitier also the fact that this won best picture and rod steiger won best actor but sidney wasn't even nominated is actually the most laughable thing in the world

    881 Likes
    siobhan
    siobhan
    Jan 1, 2024

    Damn Haskell Wexler going so hard that he basically invents 70s American cinematography in one movie

    753 Likes
    Patrick Willems
    Patrick Willems
    Jan 15, 2014

    All he wanted to do was catch the 4:05 train to Memphis. Instead, Virgil Tibbs gets stuck in the middle of a Deep South homicide investigation where he clashes with a hard-headed stuck-in-his-ways Chief of Police. A Peckerwood's not-so-tasty pie. A peep-show. A homicide on…

    602 Likes
    Todd Gaines
    Todd Gaines
  •
    Jul 7, 2022

    They say Rod Steiger chewed that ossified piece of gum until the day he died.

    526 Likes
    Jerry
    Jerry
    Mar 31, 2023

    Don't think it's unfair to criticize this for some of the easy, lecture-y liberalism baked into the reconciliation concept of a racist southern sheriff learning to be less racist when he meets a smart, educated black northern detective who helps him solve a local murder…

    500 Likes
    Josh Lewis
    Josh Lewis
    Jun 28, 2022

    I like that the film doesn’t take the easy way out. In a scene where Jewison could have easily tied a “we’ve all learned things and made progress towards racial equity through one murder case” bow on the film, he goes for realism instead. In one scene towards the end,…

    409 Likes
    DallasFrance
    DallasFrance

Queue Community Reviews

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Top Reviews
  • Meg
    Meg liked
    In the Heat of the Night

    Best Picture Oscar winner 1968 (40th Academy Awards) My Rating: 8.5/10 Nominated for 7 Oscar’s and won 5. Sydney Poitier is the best of the best. Amazing performance that will stick with you. For this to win best picture in the 60’s is a huge statement and very significant.

    3Y
    Jacob Hall
    Jacob Hall loved
    In the Heat of the Night

    Although I felt like it was more of a racism-themed film rather than a murder mystery, I really enjoyed the trio of Poitier, Steiger, and Oates. It is a little odd tho that Steiger got best actor while Poitier wasn't even nominated

    2Y
    Matt Ortiz
    Matt Ortiz loved
    In the Heat of the Night

    Dramatic filmmaking at its finest, this boiling pot thriller is rife with nuance and class. A tautly wound script accompanied by the gravitas of Poitier, this film is always going to be a classic! THEY CALL ME MR. TIBBS!

    1Y
  • HazelNut
    HazelNut liked
    In the Heat of the Night

    Another watch for my film class! So many moments throughout the movie where Tibbs is asserting and defending his authority in the face of racism, resistance, and attempts to diminish him. Really great movie!

    2M
    Platypus Lord
    Platypus Lord liked
    In the Heat of the Night

    👍👍 A vivid and enthralling, something shocking, portrait of another time and place.  Great crime thriller and nice photography and writing. Sidney Poitier, as usual, is excellent here, as is Rod Steiger.

    2Y
    Mickerdoo
    Mickerdoo loved
    In the Heat of the Night

    Crazy this movie was made in 1967. Especially after streaming the remastered version. Solid crime drama story with an excellent execution.

    3Y
  • Samantha Stone
    Samantha Stone loved
    In the Heat of the Night

    Sidney Poitier: *breathes* Me: talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show-stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique

    1M
    Wyguy
    Wyguy loved
    In the Heat of the Night

    Sidney Poitier! What a talent, he commands the scene and plays an impeccable character, amazing soundtrack too

    2Y
    Zack
    Zack liked
    In the Heat of the Night

    A classic movie that still holds up. Learning to get along with someone different than you.

    2M

Atom Users Reviews

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Metacritic

76
metacritic
Based on 15 Critics
7.9

USER SCORE (42)

Generally favorable reviews based on 42 Reviews
80
Jan 23, 2014

Though the film portrays the racism of the South as institutional and inescapable, it’s a little too eager to offer glimmers of hope with increasing frequency as the film nears its end and Tibbs and Gillespie come to understand each other better.

Metacritic review by Keith Phipps
Keith Phipps
The Dissolve
100

Yes, it’s a thriller with a murder mystery at the heart of it. But “whodunnit” is immaterial to the film’s thrills, and the one thing I seem to forget every time I watch it anew.

Metacritic review by Roger Moore
Roger Moore
Movie Nation
80

The sheer tactlessness of its racial confrontation has a forthright quality and a not entirely intentional documentary realism, especially in the scenes shot on location in Sparta, Illinois (standing in for a fictional Mississippi town).

Metacritic review by Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
The Guardian

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is In the Heat of the Night (1967)?
The movie is 1hr 50min long.
What's In the Heat of the Night (1967) about?
A black Philadelphia police detective is mistakenly suspected of a local murder while passing through a racially hostile Mississippi town, and after being cleared is reluctantly asked by the police chief to investigate the case.
Who's the cast of In the Heat of the Night (1967)?
  • Sidney Poitier as Det. Virgil Tibbs
  • Rod Steiger as Chief Bill Gillespie
  • Warren Oates as Officer Sam Wood
  • Lee Grant as Mrs. Colbert
  • Larry Gates as Eric Endicott
  • James Patterson as Mr. Purdy
  • William Schallert as Mayor Schubert
  • Beah Richards as Mama Caleba
  • Peter Whitney as Courtney
  • Kermit Murdock as Henderson
Who's the director behind In the Heat of the Night (1967)?
Norman Jewison directed In the Heat of the Night (1967).
Who produced In the Heat of the Night (1967)?
Walter Mirisch produced In the Heat of the Night (1967).