Review: In the Heat of the Night

Set in redneck central Mississippi, a wealthy industrialist from out of town is found dead by lunkhead Deputy Sam (Warren Oates). Chief Gillespie (Rod Steiger) tells Sam to be on the lookout for likely suspects. So he arrests the first black guy he sees, a well-dressed African-American waiting for a train at the station. Once he brings the man to the station and Gillespie starts to interview him, a call comes in informing Gillespie that the man is one Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier, robbed of an Oscar nomination- just sayin’!), a top homicide detective from Philly. Whoops. Gillespie wants Virgil out of town as soon as possible, but the dead man’s hysterical wife (Lee Grant- who else?) sees that Virgil’s the only one around with any brains or common sense and demands he be a part of the investigation, or else the factory (that her husband was planning to build) won’t be built. Scott Wilson plays a jailbird and likely suspect, Matt Clark plays a friend of Wilson’s, Larry Gates plays Mr. Endicott a plantation owner and chief enemy of the deceased, Anthony James plays a prejudiced diner cook, William Schallert plays the pressured local mayor, and Beah Richards has a cameo as the peculiar Mama Caleba, an abortionist.

 

If it weren’t for a horribly inappropriate music score and director Norman Jewison (underrated films like “The Cincinnati Kid” and the absurdist “…And Justice for All”) telegraphing the guilty person even earlier than he perhaps thinks he does, this 1967 racial tensions-infused crime investigation story would be an absolute classic. As is, it’s still highly enjoyable and socially very important, bolstered by excellent cinematography and brilliant performances right across the board.

 

Rod Steiger doesn’t do subtlety, but as the big-bellied, good ‘ol boy sheriff who is slightly more intelligent than his deputies, he’s perfect. It’s one of his best-ever performances, and proof that in the right role, he could be an asset (I’d also advise you to seek out his work in the excellent “No Way to Treat a Lady”). Sidney Poitier, meanwhile, never gives anything less than a top performance no matter the quality of the film. Not only is he one of the greatest actors of all-time, he’s also the most consistently good ones.

 

The standout in the supporting cast is probably Lee Grant, who delivers the exact performance you expect from her, and the exact performance that was required of her. She was quite fashionable in the 60s and 70s in rather melodramatic roles (the best of which was probably her Oscar-nominated turn in the underrated “Voyage of the Damned”), and this is one of her best. I like how your initial view of her turns out to not be the whole story with her character at all. In smaller turns, Warren Oates, Scott Wilson, Beah Richards, and Larry Gates are all excellent. Oates makes for a masterful dumbarse redneck, and Richards’ cameo is curious but memorable. 1967 really was Scott Wilson’s year with a memorable supporting role here and the co-lead in Richard Brooks’ “In Cold Blood”. Why he wasn’t able to capitalise on such early success is beyond me. He’s a helluva underrated talent, as viewers of “The Walking Dead” will no doubt attest to. Larry Gates scores in the film’s best scene as Mr. Endicott, but Poitier and Steiger are excellent in the scene as well. The shots of cotton being mowed over in the preceding scene are a precursor of what to expect, too. ***** SPOILER WARNING ***** If there’s one actor in the cast who rubs one the wrong way, it’s Anthony James who calls way too much attention to himself as the killer. Jewison doesn’t help rein him in, making the mystery obvious from the opening scene, which is a tad unfortunate. ***** END SPOILER *****

 

The biggest irritant with the film is the music score by Quincy Jones (“In Cold Blood”, “Mirage”) that just doesn’t fit in. The awesome title song by Ray Charles sets us off on the right foot, but along comes Quincy with his semi-blaxploitation chase music (The film being made in the period just prior to blaxploitation). African drums have no place in this film whatsoever, and the dramatic transitional moments are out of a bad TV cop show. The more laidback elements to the score, derived from Charles’ song, are great, but when the drums and horns start up…let’s just say Mr. Jones ain’t no Isaac Hayes, and this ain’t meant to be “Shaft”. The cinematography and location shooting by Haskell Wexler (“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”, “Coming Home”), however, deserve much praise, even though it ain’t shot in the South for the most part (It was largely shot in Illinois. Apparently Poitier and Harry Belafonte had some trouble in Mississippi with the Klan, so Poitier wanted it filmed up North, understandably if you ask me). There’s a really nice use of shadows, and the lighting for exterior night shots is outstanding.

 

A few flaws keep this very good and important film from being a true masterpiece, but if you’re a fan of these actors, you definitely need to see this film. The Oscar-winning screenplay is by Stirling Silliphant (“The Poseidon Adventure”, “The Towering Inferno”, “The Swarm”, “When Time Ran Out…”), from a John Ball novel. The film also received Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actor (Steiger), Best Sound, and Best Editing.

 

Rating: B+