10.11.23
The slap that shook the cinematic world, many decades before Will Smith lost his shit and felt it necessary to defend his evil husband. In the Heat of the Night is about much more than the racial prejudice of a narrow-minded police detail in a small Mississippi town; it’s a valid reflection of the post-segregation, anti-black sentiment that was still so rife in ‘60s USA, and sadly continues to exist in some places today.
In terms of sweaty, grainy police thrillers, it just feels so solid, despite being pretty static and unrefined in terms of shot framing. Immeasurably helped by performances from Rod Steiger and even more from Sidney Poitier, In the Heat of the Night did the unthinkable upon first release, flipping ethnic stereotypes of male leads. With one side being virtuous and the other corruptible, the dual leads reflect both the visible and hidden sides of the law. Maybe it lacks the emotion of classics in the same era and genre like Dog Day Afternoon or The French Connection, but Poitier’s Virgil Tibbs is such a confident presence despite the hostility, that it covers up for the simple and unremarkable murder mystery plot. Even the famous ‘Mr Tibbs’ line delivery isn’t all that impressive, although some other moments such as with the plantation owner and Virgil’s thousand-yard staredowns upon Chief Gillespie are memorable and competently crafted.
What impresses me the most is the film’s veneer of social significance and the illusion of depth in its use of studying prejudice. Here lies a film best remembered for its ability to do the unthinkable during the civil rights movement; to make us empathise with the non-white American. This is chiefly down to Poiter’s professional candour and agency as the plot develops. The murder becomes less important than the backdrop. It just isn’t that absorbing and pales in comparison to the likes of Chinatown, Sleuth or The Long Goodbye, (some of my favourites from the era, albeit slightly later in release date). Thus the film relies more on exploring racism in a meaningful, impactful way rather than crafting an intricate ‘whodunit’.
The excellent Poitier and Steiger performances overcame noteworthy flaws, including an uneven script and an unconvincing finale. Still, for a film from 1967 that tackles issues of racism head-on, In the Heat of the Night is a significant and memorable drama. We should never overlook, despite its flaws as a thriller, its willingness to confront racial biases in a groundbreaking way, for its time at least. Norman Jewison’s important portrait of racism in small-town America continues to resonate, with the film providing an important historical snapshot of race relations, fully deserving of its famous one-liners and iconic memes.