Movie #202: In the Heat of the Night

Movie #: 202
Movie Title: In the Heat of the Night
Year Released: 1967

Director: Norman Jewison
Notable Cast: Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, Warren Oats

Short Description: An African American police detective is asked to investigate a murder in a racially hostile southern town. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists

AFI.com: #75
IMDB.com: N/A
Ranker.com: N/A
Lifed.com: N/A
Empire.com: N/A
FilmCrave.com: N/A
FlickChart.com: N/A



Date Watched: 7/17/2013

What I Liked: I had my suspicions (which proved incorrect), but up until the last few minutes when the killer was revealed I had no clue who did it. That sort of cover-up made this a superb murder-mystery. Though Sidney Poitier was good, I thought Rod Steiger was better as the racist police chief who begins to learn tolerance at the end. In general I thought the display of racism and Poitier's character's dealing with it in 1960's Mississippi was portrayed accurately and fairly.

What I Disliked: It's too convenient that a homicide detective happens to be passing through a town without a homicide detective the night a man is mysteriously murdered and he's the first person brought in for questioning. The last minute of the movie had a very cheesy smile between Poitier and Steiger's characters that felt forced and awkward given their disdain for each other throughout the majority of the movie.

Grade: 3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)
Rationale: A great story of dealing with racial prejudice while trying to solve a murder-mystery that will keep you guessing until the end.