Variety
An excellent Sidney Poitier performance, and an outstanding one by Rod Steiger, overcome some noteworthy flaws to make In The Heat of the Night an absorbing contemporary murder drama.
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In The Heat Of The Night
Winner of five awards at the 1968 Oscars and one of director Norman Jewison's most enduring films. Stars Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger.
While traveling in the Deep South, Virgil Tibbs (Poitier), a black Philadelphia homicide detective, becomes unwittingly embroiled in the murder investigation of a prominent businessman when he is first accused of the crime and then asked to solve it. But finding the killer proves to be difficult when his efforts are constantly thwarted by the bigoted town sheriff (Steiger). Realising neither man can solve this case alone, they put aside their differences and prejudices to join forces in a desperate race against time to discover the shocking truth.
Less1967Rating: M109 minsUSA
DramaThriller
- Director:
- Norman Jewison ('The Hurricane', 'Fiddler on the Roof', 'Moonstruck')
- Writer:
- Stirling Silliphant
- Cast:
- Sidney PoitierRod SteigerWarren OatesLee GrantLarry GatesJames PattersonWilliam SchallertBeah Richards
In The Heat Of The Night | Reviews
95%84 reviewsRotten Tomatoes® Score
All reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Time Out
Hindsight has lent this gripping, serious-minded melodrama a certain righteous intensity.
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The New York Times
...a film that has the look and sound of actuality and the pounding pulse of truth.
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The Guardian
It's a stylish performance from Poitier and an honest, intelligent contribution from Steiger.
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In The Heat Of The Night | Release Details
In The Heat Of The Night is available to stream in New Zealand now on Google Play and Apple TV.