Review of In the Heat of the Night (1967) by Jason J — 13 Jul 2010

Sidney Poitier is Virgil Tibbs, a black homocide police officer on the way to Memphis to visit his mother but has to stop at the small town of Sparta to change trains. Unfortunately on the same night as his arrival in Sparta, a man is killed on the main street and as Tibbs is the only guy around at the train station he's arrested on suspicion of murder. Once his credentials as a police officer is verified, he's ordered by his superior to help the white racist police officers in solving the murder case. He encounters much racism during the course of his investigation and the police chief is desperate to get rid of him out of town.

A classic movie from the 60's with the famous line "They call me Mister Tibbs". A powerful movie about deep rooted racism and how a simple case turns into a complex murder mystery.Sidney Poitier is fantastic as the police officer Virgil Tibbs but Rod Steiger also gives a sterling performance as the chief of Sparta who gradually begins to respect Tibbs. One of the most potent pairings in movie history. Both actors were nominated for an Oscar but it was Steiger who won it. A thrilling and at times touching movie about two men struggling to get to the bottom of a murder mystery and overcome the racism issue that is all around them.A must see movie that has stood the test of time really well.