In the Heat of the Night (1967)

In the Heat of the Night

• I’m gonna be brutally honest, I didn’t realize this was a film, much less based on a novel. I’ve seen bits of the show growing up, but I thought it was a standalone show. Turns out there’s a film that came first, and hey, look at that, it won Best Picture! So I jumped on the chance to order it from Criterion, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m always down for a good thriller/mystery, which is exactly what I got from this. Even better, it deals with realistic and darker themes, so it only hits that much harder. Set in Mississippi, it deals with racism, corruption, and injustice. It does it in a way that isn’t forceful or over the top. It blends together with the murder case in a nice way. Not that racism is nice, but it’s done tastefully and effectively. Because of that, it only makes you root for Virgil Tibbs that much more. Speaking of which, the fact that Sidney Poitier wasn’t nominated for an Oscar is absolutely awful. Rod Steiger, who played Chief Gillespie, won for Best Actor, and it’s a crime that Poitier didn’t pick up Best Supporting Actor. He radiated so much power and confidence, even just through his eyes. His whole demeanor was worthy of an award. But the whole cast is pretty solid. The cinematography was really good, giving the film the very authentic feel that it has, and the score by the late, great Quincy Jones was very reminiscent of the time in the best way possible. Overall, this film is absolutely awesome, although the killer’s reveal was a little predictable, and there’s a couple tiny slow moments. But I loved it, and I’d recommend it to all crime/thriller fans. This film is officially Berry Approved, so go watch it now!