PG-13 | 1h 53min | Drama, Mystery | 1967
Norman Jewison’s classic “In the Heat of the Night” is a towering tribute to how self-assessment is key to embracing our shared humanity. It’s based on Stirling Silliphant’s screenplay, which in turn is based on John Ball’s novel.
A homicide detective from Philadelphia, Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier), waits for his night train at a small town in Mississippi. In spite of his impeccable grooming, he’s mistaken for a robber. Patrol cop Wood, looking for the killer of wealthy businessman Colbert, sees Virgil’s loaded wallet as evidence of guilt and arrests him….