In the Heat of the Night

Dir. Norman Jewison. 1967, 110 mins. 35mm. With Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, Warren Oates. Poitier and Rod Steiger make for one of the most riveting dramatic teams in movie history as a brash Philadelphia detective and a racist Southern sheriff thrown together to solve a rural Mississippi murder. Featuring moody lensing by the great Haskell Wexler and a bluesy score by Quincy Jones, Norman Jewison’s multi-Oscar winner (including Best Picture and Actor for Steiger) functions as both a crackling police procedural and a potent examination of American racial tension. The film’s popularity spawned two spin-off Poitier vehicles: They Call Me Mister Tibbs! and The Organization.