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Poster for In the Heat of the Night

In the Heat of the Night

Seen it?

1967 | 109 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

Friday Night Flick

Why it’s a Friday Night Flick

Critics loved it (96% on Rotten Tomatoes), it won 5 Oscars, people are still talking about it and audiences rate it highly (7.7 out of 10). Make plans for this one.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
Made for crime-drama fans and anyone who likes to be kept guessing. If you loved Insomnia or The Defiant Ones, start here. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
The mood
Tense, dark and gritty.
The pace
Takes its time with its characters, at 1 hr 49 min.
What might put you off
  • Rated PG-13. Probably too much for younger kids.
  • Made in 1967: an older pace and style.

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.

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsVery strong

    96% on Rotten Tomatoes, 76 on Metacritic

  • AudiencesStrong

    7.7 out of 10

  • AwardsVery strong

    Won 5 Oscars: Academy Awards: Best Picture, Academy Awards: Best Actor, Academy Awards: Best Screenplay – Based on Material from Another Medium, Academy Awards: Best Film Editing and 1 more. Won 3 Golden Globes: Golden Globe Awards: Best Motion Picture – Drama, Golden Globe Awards: Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama, Golden Globe Awards: Best Screenplay – Motion Picture. Won 1 BAFTA: British Academy Film Awards: Best Foreign Actor. Also nominated for 2 more Oscars, 2 more Golden Globes and 1 more BAFTA. Plus 12 other awards.

  • Box office & staying powerStrong

    $27 million worldwide on a $2 million budget; still draws a steady audience long after release

  • Buzz & cultural impactVery strong

    About 349K people sought it out in the past year

Trailer

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Cast & crew

Directed by Norman Jewison

  • Sidney PoitierDet. Virgil Tibbs
  • Rod SteigerPolice Chief Bill Gillespie
  • Warren OatesDeputy Sam Wood
  • Lee GrantMrs. Leslie Colbert
  • Larry GatesEric Endicott
  • James PattersonMr. Purdy
  • William SchallertMayor Schubert
  • Beah RichardsMama Caleba
  • Peter WhitneyDeputy Courtney
  • Kermit MurdockHenderson