Picture 40: In the Heat of the Night (1967)

It’s 1967 and we welcome our 40th movie to the mix. Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger star in this crime thriller set in 1960s Sparta, Mississippi.

A visiting wealthy industrialist, Phillip Colbert, is found murdered in the streets in the middle of the night. The police come across black man Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier) at the train station and groundlessly arrest him on suspicion of murder. However, it soon turns out that Virgil is actually a very innocent top homicide detective from Philadelphia – awkward!

Tibbs reluctantly agrees to help the racially prejudiced, aviator wearing, struggling police chief Bill Gillespie (Rod Steiger) with the murder investigation and so the premise for the film is born. The next 2 hours introduces some impressive old school detective work, music from Quincy Jones, a fleeting moment of suspicion for almost every character and the gradual breaking down of prejudicial aesthetic barriers.

An important film given its historical context and the civil rights movement. However, the plot seems oddly linear and lacks significant entertainment value. There are some isolated heart-warming moments but these do not offset the prevailing wind of boredom. You’d spend your time more efficiently watching an episode of Columbo. It goes for a 5.

Rating: 5/10

Oscar Best Picture Rankings:

1. Casablanca (1943)

2. The Apartment (1960)

3. Rebecca (1940)

4. The Sound of Music (1965)

5. A Man for All Seasons (1966)

6. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

7. Ben-Hur (1959)

8. Lost Weekend (1945)

9. All About Eve (1950)

10. Hamlet (1948)

11. How Green Was My Valley (1941)

12. Gone With the Wind (1939)

13. West Side Story (1961)

14. Mrs. Miniver (1942)

15. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

16. Wings (1928)

17. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)

18. You can’t take it with you (1938)

19. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

20. On the Waterfront (1954)

21. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

22. Marty (1955)

23. Cimarron (1931)

24. Grand Hotel (1932)

25. An American in Paris (1951)

26. From Here to Eternity (1953)

27. It Happened One Night (1934)

28. My Fair Lady (1964)

29. Gentleman’s Agreement (1947)

30. Cavalcade (1933)

31. The Life of Emile Zola (1937)

32. Going My Way (1944)

33. The Great Ziegfeld (1936)

34. All the King’s Men (1949)

35. In the Heat of the Night (1967)

36. Gigi (1958)

37. Around the World in 80 Days (1956)

38. The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)

39. The Broadway Melody (1929)

40. Tom Jones (1963)

Previous or current ranking leaders are in bold.

With credit and thanks to the patrons of the Best Picture Film Club:

Dr Sophie Bloomfield

Dr Caspar Briault

Dr Kate Diomede

Dr Fionnuala Durrant

Dr Josh Fisher

Mr Vivian Gallaher

Mrs Clare Gallaher

Dr Hannah Morrison

Dr Meera Radia