As we close out Black History Month, the Mister and Monsters join me in reviewing IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT (1967), currently streaming on HBO Max. The film has a screenplay written by Stirling Silliphant, from a novel by James Ball, and directed by Norman Jewison. The film tells the story of how VirgilTibbs (the late, great Sidney Poitier) who finds himself being wrongly accused of a murder and then roped into helping the Sparta Police Department, headed up by Chief Bill Gillespie (Rod Steiger, in an Academy Award winning role). In a matter of days Tibbs has cracked the case but its the time spent together that has changed Tibbs and Gillespie. The film has a run time of 1 h 50 m and is rated not rated but there is dialogue referencing sex and some racially charged language. Please note there are SPOILERS in this review.

Opening intro music: GOAT by Wayne Jones, courtesy of YouTube Audio Library.