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Summary

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.

Cast

Sidney Poitier

Virgil Tibbs

Rod Steiger

Police Chief Bill Gillespie

Warren Oates

Deputy Sam Wood

Peter Whitney

Deputy Courtney

Lee Grant

Mrs. Leslie Colbert

Anthony James

Ralph

William Schallert

Mayor Schubert

Scott Wilson

Harvey Oberst

Larry Gates

Eric Endicott

James Patterson

Mr. Purdy

Quentin Dean

Delores Purdy

Kermit Murdock

Henderson

Larry D. Mann

Watkins

Matt Clark

Packy

Beah Richards

Mama Caleba

Arthur Malet

Ulam

Fred Stewart

Dr. Stuart

Timothy Scott

Shagbag

William Watson

McNeil

Eldon Quick

Charles Hawthorne

Jester Hairston

Endicott's Butler

Stuart Nisbet

Shuie

Khalil Bezaleel

Jess

Peter Masterson

Fryer

Phil Adams

1st Tough

Nikita Knatz

2nd Tough

Sam Reese

Clerk

Jack Teter

Philip Colbert (uncredited)

Alan Oppenheimer

Ted Appleton (uncredited)

Clegg Hoyt

Deputy (uncredited)

Buzz Barton

Conductor (uncredited)

Crew

Director

Norman Jewison

Lyricist

Alan Bergman

Lyricist

Marilyn Bergman

Novel

John Ball

Screenplay

Stirling Silliphant

Reviews

GenerationofSwine

January 11, 2023

10

I have a love/hate thing for how this ended. It looked good but it was too dark... visually. I think they were going for a source lighting thing and failed a bit. It was realistically dark but not Hollywood viewer in mind dark.

Anyway the bad is out of the way, the good is the performance, it was really Oscar worthy in the truest sense, and the evolution of both the lead character and the supporting cast right down to the town around him was legendary. Subtle, but legendary.

It even had a sense of humor, little jokes in it that were probably added to break the tension, but added in a way that you have to look for them so it doesn't break.

Start to finish it is brilliant.