In the Heat of the Night

 

                                     Now granted this Sidney Poitier classic is still on Tubi so you can most certainly check this great movie out now. Fast forward to last week my parents gave me their library card to go check out a movie for a usual movie night. Because as I was a young man that was our simplest solution was to rent a movie at the library instead of paying to rent a movie at your local video store, you all remember renting movies at Movie Gallery's or Library's? Hell, movies stores where the one place in the world where you can check out porn, finding the porn is easy going to the clerk is the toughest part because they’re going to give you that look of judgement if you know what I mean. Anyway, getting back to the topic, In the Heat of the Night was another one of those cop movies I haven't seen as of late in my early years and it was staring at me in the library shelf, so I must check this movie out.

                                     African American Philadelphia police detective Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier) is arrested on suspicion of murder by Bill Gillespie (Rod Steiger), 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. 

                                     Hands down this is most certainly the best buddy cop movie in my opinion despite the fact that I'm trying to separate the film from other buddy cop movies mainly because the film starts off as the two main characters who really don't like one another out of the sense of the color of each man's skin, and sure there other cop buddy movies where the two characters don't like one another but it's really because of their lack of respect for one another, this movie is set in the late sixties south where you’re going to be seeing really bad racisms everywhere you go and the fact that this movie came out during that time was no doubt great but most of all important for the world to see. I've seen some of Sidney Poitier's films, just not all of them, which in truth it's sad but then again if you’re going to start off with a great Sidney Poitier film you might as well start off with a great movie like this movie. Of course and really with a doubt Sidney Poitier was the best part of the whole movie I mean his quote of "They Call Me Mr. Tibbs" gives me chills, though another important actor in the movie upon which earn him an Oscar was Rod Steiger who does such a fantastic job playing the Police Chief who at first follows his principles on how he was raised but slowly begins to realize he need's Poitier's character and through course of the story worries for his safety of high tensions while investigating the murder and yet by end of the movie he begins to respect Tibbs and leaves it as each man respects one another. So, for a first and hopefully many Sidney Poitier movies to watch this was worth the watch from start to finish. And last, I check In the Heat of the Night is still on Tubi so, if you still have the absolute free no charge streaming service, I will highly recommend checking the movie out and be sure to listen to Ray Charles song In the Heat of the Night as well.