In The Heat Of The Night: Critic Reviews

100%

MovieWeb: 0 reviews

96%

RottenTomatoes: 28 reviews

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Bosley Crowther New York Times (Top Critic)

80

A film that has the look and sound of actuality and the pounding pulse of truth.
Full Review » 9 years ago
Dave Kehr Chicago Reader (Top Critic)

A decent piece of do-good cinema.
Full Review » 5 years ago
A.D. Murphy Variety (Top Critic)

An excellent Sidney Poitier performance, and an outstanding one by Rod Steiger, overcome some noteworthy flaws to make In The Heat of the Night an absorbing contemporary murder drama.
Full Review » 4 years ago
TIME Magazine (Top Critic)

No deep solutions are suggested in this subtle and meticulously observed study. Yet Director Norman Jewison has used his camera to extract a cer tain rough-cut beauty from each protagonist.
Full Review » 3 years ago
Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com

80

Full Review » 4 years ago
Christopher Null Filmcritic.com

80

far -- far -- more interested in racial politics than criminal capers, and it's Tibbs' interactions with the local yokels that make the film so memorable
Full Review » 4 years ago
Empire Magazine

80

Probably Norman Jewison's best picture.
Full Review » 5 years ago
Film4

The cleverness of Silliphant's script is in combining the investigation of a murder with a message film.
Full Review » 5 years ago
TV Guide's Movie Guide

100

[A] superb thriller.
Full Review » 5 years ago
Wesley Lovell Oscar Guy

88

Rod Steiger delivers an engaging performance as a bigoted police chief who comes to trust a strong black homicide detective.
Full Review » 6 years ago
Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com

75

Norman Jewison's drama is a message film in the guise of a small-town murder mystery, propagating interracial friendship between blacks and whites.
Full Review » 6 years ago
Dennis Schwartz Ozus' World Movie Reviews

67

Liberal do-gooder film.
Full Review » 6 years ago
Geoff Andrew Time Out

Oozes sufficient Southern sweat and features enough admirably crumpled character faces to make up for its over-strident liberal rhetoric.
Full Review » 6 years ago
Tony Medley Tolucan Times

80

Full Review » 7 years ago
Eric Lurio Greenwich Village Gazette

80

Full Review » 8 years ago
Daniel M. Kimmel Worcester Telegram & Gazette

100

Full Review » 8 years ago
David Nusair Reel Film Reviews

75

...captured that small town feel quite well...
Full Review » 9 years ago
Walter Chaw Film Freak Central

60

Full Review » 9 years ago
Nick Davis Nick's Flick Picks

42

Age hasn't done much for Norman Jewison's In the Heat of the Night.
Full Review » 9 years ago
Nell Minow Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies

100

Full Review » 9 years ago
Nicolas Lacroix Showbizz.net

100

Full Review » 10 years ago
Rob Vaux Flipside Movie Emporium

100

Full Review » 10 years ago
Philip Martin Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

80

Full Review » 10 years ago
Brian Webster Apollo Guide

85

This is an excellent mystery with superb performances all-round.
Full Review » 10 years ago
James Kendrick Q Network Film Desk

88

Poitier and Steiger have such strong chemistry together and they act so well in their respective roles that their relationship comes alive and grabs you on a gut level
Full Review » 11 years ago