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In the Heat of the Night

In the Heat of the Night

Crime · Drama · Mystery · 1967

African-American Philadelphia police detective Virgil Tibbs is arrested on suspicion of murder by Bill Gillespie, the racist police chief of tiny Sparta, Mississippi. After Tibbs proves not only his own innocence but that of another man, he joins forces with Gillespie to track down the real killer. Their investigation takes them through every social level of the town, with Tibbs making enemies as well as unlikely friends as he hunts for the truth.

Movie details

In the Heat of the Night

“They got a murder on their hands. They don’t know what to do with it.”

1967 Crime · Drama · Mystery 1h 49m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.7 / 10

Community rating

African-American Philadelphia police detective Virgil Tibbs is arrested on suspicion of murder by Bill Gillespie, the racist police chief of tiny Sparta, Mississippi. After Tibbs proves not only his own innocence but that of another man, he joins forces with Gillespie to track down the real killer. Their investigation takes them through every social level of the town, with Tibbs making enemies as well as unlikely friends as he hunts for the truth.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over In the Heat of the Night?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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The Order

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A string of violent robberies in the Pacific Northwest leads veteran FBI agent Terry Husk into a white supremacist plot to overthrow the federal government.

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Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Norman Jewison

Written by

Stirling Silliphant

Sidney Poitier

Sidney Poitier

Virgil Tibbs

Rod Steiger

Rod Steiger

Police Chief Bill Gillespie

Warren Oates

Warren Oates

Deputy Sam Wood

Peter Whitney

Peter Whitney

Deputy Courtney

Lee Grant

Lee Grant

Mrs. Leslie Colbert

Anthony James

Anthony James

Ralph

William Schallert

William Schallert

Mayor Schubert

Court is in session

Put In the Heat of the Night on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Auteur Devotee

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.