In the Heat of the Night (film)
Reception
Reception
---------

In contrast to films like *[The Chase](/wiki/The_Chase_%281966_film%29 "The Chase (1966 film)")* and *[Hurry Sundown](/wiki/Hurry_Sundown_%28film%29 "Hurry Sundown (film)")*, which offered confused visions of the South, *In the Heat of the Night* depicted a tough, edgy vision of a Southern town that seemed to hate outsiders more than itself, a theme reflecting the uncertain mood of the time, just as the [civil rights movement](/wiki/Civil_rights_movement "Civil rights movement") attempted to take hold. Canadian director Jewison wanted to tell a story of a white man and a black man working together in spite of difficulties. Jewison said that this film proved a conviction he had held for a long time: "It's you against the world. It's like going to war. Everybody is trying to tell you something different and they are always putting obstacles in your way."

A particularly famous line in the film comes immediately after Gillespie mocks the name "Virgil": 
> Gillespie: "That's a funny name for a nigger boy that comes from Philadelphia! What do they call you up there?"  
> Tibbs (annoyed): "They call me *Mister* Tibbs!"

 This reply was later listed as number 16 on the [American Film Institute](/wiki/American_Film_Institute "American Film Institute")'s *[100 Years...100 Movie Quotes](/wiki/100_Years...100_Movie_Quotes "100 Years...100 Movie Quotes")*, a list of top film quotes, and was also the title of [the movie's sequel](/wiki/They_Call_Me_Mister_Tibbs%21 "They Call Me Mister Tibbs!"). Among other places, it was referenced by [Pumbaa](/wiki/Timon_and_Pumbaa "Timon and Pumbaa") in *[The Lion King](/wiki/The_Lion_King "The Lion King")*.

Another important scene that surprised audiences at the time occurs when Tibbs is slapped by Endicott. Tibbs responds by immediately slapping him back. In a [San Francisco](/wiki/San_Francisco "San Francisco") pre\-screening, Jewison was concerned when the young audience was laughing at the film as if it were a comedy. The audience's stunned reaction to the slapping scene convinced Jewison that the film was effective as drama. That scene helped make the film so popular for audiences, finally seeing the top black film actor physically strike back against bigotry, that the film earned the nickname, *[Superspade](/wiki/Superspade "Superspade") Versus the Rednecks*. During the film's initial run, Steiger and Poitier occasionally went to the [Capitol Theatre](/wiki/Capitol_Theatre_%28New_York_City%29 "Capitol Theatre (New York City)") in [New York](/wiki/New_York_City "New York City") to amuse themselves seeing how many black and white audience members there were, which could be immediately ascertained by listening to the former cheering Tibbs's retaliatory slap and the latter whispering "Oh!" in astonishment.

### Critical response

[Bosley Crowther](/wiki/Bosley_Crowther "Bosley Crowther") of *[The New York Times](/wiki/The_New_York_Times "The New York Times")* praised Jewison for crafting "a film that has the look and sound of actuality and the pounding pulse of truth." He further praised Steiger and Poitier for "each giving physical authority and personal depth" to their performances. [Richard Schickel](/wiki/Richard_Schickel "Richard Schickel") of *[Life](/wiki/Life_%28magazine%29 "Life (magazine)")* magazine wrote that "almost everything in this movie is good—the sharply drawn minor characters, the careful plotting, the wonderful rightness of each scene's setting, mood and dialogue. Most admirable of all is the way everyone avoids oversimplifications." John Mahoney of *[The Hollywood Reporter](/wiki/The_Hollywood_Reporter "The Hollywood Reporter")* deemed the film to be "a gripping and suspenseful murder mystery that effects a feeling of greater importance by its veneer of social significance and the illusion of depth in its use of racial color."

*[Time](/wiki/Time_%28magazine%29 "Time (magazine)")* magazine applauded the film's theme of racial unity that was "immeasurably helped by performances from Steiger and Poitier that break brilliantly with black\-white stereotype." [Roger Ebert](/wiki/Roger_Ebert "Roger Ebert") gave *In the Heat of the Night* a positive review, praising Steiger's performance although he noted "the story itself was slightly too pat". He would later place it at number ten on his top ten list of 1967 films. Arthur D. Murphy of *[Variety](/wiki/Variety_%28magazine%29 "Variety (magazine)")* felt that the excellent Poitier and outstanding Steiger performances overcame noteworthy flaws, including an uneven script. [Penelope Gilliatt](/wiki/Penelope_Gilliatt "Penelope Gilliatt") of *[The New Yorker](/wiki/The_New_Yorker "The New Yorker")* thought it had "a spurious air of concern about the afflictions of the real America at the moment" and that it is "essentially a primitive rah\-rah story about an underdog's triumph over a bully".

[Akira Kurosawa](/wiki/Akira_Kurosawa "Akira Kurosawa") cited *In the Heat of the Night* as one of his favorite films.

On the review aggregator website [Rotten Tomatoes](/wiki/Rotten_Tomatoes "Rotten Tomatoes"), the film holds an approval rating of 96% based on 89 reviews, with an average rating of 8\.40/10\. Its consensus states, "Tense, funny, and thought\-provoking all at once, and lifted by strong performances from Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger, director Norman Jewison's look at murder and racism in small\-town America continues to resonate today." [Metacritic](/wiki/Metacritic "Metacritic") assigned a score of 75 based on 14 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

### Box office

The film opened at the [Capitol Theatre](/wiki/Capitol_Theatre_%28New_York_City%29 "Capitol Theatre (New York City)") and at the 86th Street East theatre in [New York City](/wiki/New_York_City "New York City") on Wednesday, August 2, 1967, grossing $108,107 in its first five days. It opened in [Miami Beach, Florida](/wiki/Miami_Beach%2C_Florida "Miami Beach, Florida") and in [Toronto](/wiki/Toronto "Toronto") on Friday, August 4 and grossed $20,974 for the weekend which, together with the New York grosses, combined to give a weekend gross of $95,806\. It was released soon after [race riots](/wiki/Race_riots "Race riots") in [Newark](/wiki/Newark%2C_New_Jersey "Newark, New Jersey"), [Milwaukee](/wiki/Milwaukee "Milwaukee"), and [Detroit](/wiki/Detroit "Detroit"). By January 1971, the film had earned $11 million in box office rentals from the United States and Canada.

### Accolades

| Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Academy Awards](/wiki/40th_Academy_Awards "40th Academy Awards") | [Best Picture](/wiki/Academy_Award_for_Best_Picture "Academy Award for Best Picture") | [Walter Mirisch](/wiki/Walter_Mirisch "Walter Mirisch") |  |
| [Best Director](/wiki/Academy_Award_for_Best_Director "Academy Award for Best Director") | [Norman Jewison](/wiki/Norman_Jewison "Norman Jewison") |  |
| [Best Actor](/wiki/Academy_Award_for_Best_Actor "Academy Award for Best Actor") | [Rod Steiger](/wiki/Rod_Steiger "Rod Steiger") |  |
| [Best Screenplay – Based on Material from Another Medium](/wiki/Academy_Award_for_Best_Adapted_Screenplay "Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay") | [Stirling Silliphant](/wiki/Stirling_Silliphant "Stirling Silliphant") |  |
| [Best Film Editing](/wiki/Academy_Award_for_Best_Film_Editing "Academy Award for Best Film Editing") | [Hal Ashby](/wiki/Hal_Ashby "Hal Ashby") |  |
| [Best Sound](/wiki/Academy_Award_for_Best_Sound "Academy Award for Best Sound") | [Samuel Goldwyn Studio](/wiki/Samuel_Goldwyn_Studio "Samuel Goldwyn Studio") Sound Department |  |
| [Best Sound Effects](/wiki/Best_Sound_Effects "Best Sound Effects") | [James Richard](/wiki/James_Richard "James Richard") |  |
| [American Cinema Editors Awards](/wiki/American_Cinema_Editors "American Cinema Editors") | [Best Edited Feature Film – Dramatic](/wiki/Best_Edited_Feature_Film_%E2%80%93_Dramatic "Best Edited Feature Film – Dramatic") | Hal Ashby |  |
| [British Academy Film Awards](/wiki/21st_British_Academy_Film_Awards "21st British Academy Film Awards") | [Best Film](/wiki/BAFTA_Award_for_Best_Film "BAFTA Award for Best Film") | Norman Jewison |  |
| [Best Foreign Actor](/wiki/BAFTA_Award_for_Best_Actor_in_a_Leading_Role "BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role") | [Sidney Poitier](/wiki/Sidney_Poitier "Sidney Poitier") |  |
| Rod Steiger |  |
| United Nations Award | Norman Jewison |  |
| [Directors Guild of America Awards](/wiki/20th_Directors_Guild_of_America_Awards "20th Directors Guild of America Awards") | [Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures](/wiki/Directors_Guild_of_America_Award_for_Outstanding_Directing_%E2%80%93_Feature_Film "Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film") |  |
| [Edgar Allan Poe Awards](/wiki/Edgar_Allan_Poe_Awards "Edgar Allan Poe Awards") | [Best Motion Picture Screenplay](/wiki/List_of_Edgar_Allan_Poe_Award_for_Best_Motion_Picture_Screenplay_winners "List of Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay winners") | Stirling Silliphant |  |
| [Golden Globe Awards](/wiki/25th_Golden_Globe_Awards "25th Golden Globe Awards") | [Best Motion Picture – Drama](/wiki/Golden_Globe_Award_for_Best_Motion_Picture_%E2%80%93_Drama "Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama") | |  |
| [Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama](/wiki/Golden_Globe_Award_for_Best_Actor_%E2%80%93_Motion_Picture_Drama "Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama") | Sidney Poitier |  |
| Rod Steiger |  |
| [Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture](/wiki/Golden_Globe_Award_for_Best_Supporting_Actress_%E2%80%93_Motion_Picture "Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture") | [Quentin Dean](/wiki/Quentin_Dean "Quentin Dean") |  |
| [Lee Grant](/wiki/Lee_Grant "Lee Grant") |  |
| [Best Director – Motion Picture](/wiki/Golden_Globe_Award_for_Best_Director "Golden Globe Award for Best Director") | Norman Jewison |  |
| [Best Screenplay – Motion Picture](/wiki/Golden_Globe_Award_for_Best_Screenplay "Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay") | Stirling Silliphant |  |
| [Grammy Awards](/wiki/10th_Annual_Grammy_Awards "10th Annual Grammy Awards") | [Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Show](/wiki/Grammy_Award_for_Best_Score_Soundtrack_for_Visual_Media "Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media") | [Quincy Jones](/wiki/Quincy_Jones "Quincy Jones") |  |
| Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Actor | Rod Steiger |  |
| [Laurel Awards](/wiki/Laurel_Awards "Laurel Awards") | Top Drama | |  |
| Top Male Dramatic Performance | Sidney Poitier |  |
| Rod Steiger |  |
| [National Film Preservation Board](/wiki/National_Film_Preservation_Board "National Film Preservation Board") | [National Film Registry](/wiki/National_Film_Registry "National Film Registry") | |  |
| [National Society of Film Critics Awards](/wiki/1967_National_Society_of_Film_Critics_Awards "1967 National Society of Film Critics Awards") | [Best Actor](/wiki/National_Society_of_Film_Critics_Award_for_Best_Actor "National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor") | Rod Steiger |  |
| [Best Cinematography](/wiki/National_Society_of_Film_Critics_Award_for_Best_Cinematography "National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cinematography") | [Haskell Wexler](/wiki/Haskell_Wexler "Haskell Wexler") |  |
| [New York Film Critics Circle Awards](/wiki/1967_New_York_Film_Critics_Circle_Awards "1967 New York Film Critics Circle Awards") | [Best Film](/wiki/New_York_Film_Critics_Circle_Award_for_Best_Film "New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film") | |  |
| [Best Actor](/wiki/New_York_Film_Critics_Circle_Award_for_Best_Actor "New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor") | Rod Steiger |  |
| Online Film \& Television Association Awards | Hall of Fame – Motion Picture | |  |
| [Sant Jordi Awards](/wiki/Sant_Jordi_Awards "Sant Jordi Awards") | Best Foreign Film | Norman Jewison |  |
| Best Performance in a Foreign Film | Rod Steiger (also for *[The Loved One](/wiki/The_Loved_One_%28film%29 "The Loved One (film)")* and *[No Way to Treat a Lady](/wiki/No_Way_to_Treat_a_Lady_%28film%29 "No Way to Treat a Lady (film)")*) |  |
| [Writers Guild of America Awards](/wiki/20th_Writers_Guild_of_America_Awards "20th Writers Guild of America Awards") | [Best Written American Drama](/wiki/Writers_Guild_of_America_Award_for_Best_Written_Drama "Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written Drama") | Stirling Silliphant |  |


Can individual psychology be a factor in the misuse of power?