8.2
Viewer Rating
Combines user and critic ratings from four sources
In the Heat of the Night (1967)
Bias Rating
Analyzing...
Progressive
Viewer Rating
Rating: 8.2
Overview
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.
Starring Cast
Where to watch
Bias Dimensions
Political: Strong Left
Diversity: High
LGBTQ: Negative
Christianity: Negative
Overview
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.
Starring Cast
Where to watch
Detailed Bias Analysis
Analyzing...
Progressive
Primary
The film's central thesis explicitly critiques systemic racism and racial prejudice in the American South, championing racial equality and dignity through the triumph of individual competence and moral courage.
The movie features a prominent Black lead character, bringing clear diversity to its casting. Its narrative is deeply centered on an explicit critique of racial prejudice and traditional white identities in the American South, with the protagonist challenging and overcoming systemic racism.
Secondary
The film includes implied LGBTQ+ characters and settings, primarily through Mr. Purdy, whose effeminate demeanor is used as a basis for suspicion and mockery by the police chief. A gay bar is depicted as a location for a murder investigation, contributing to a generally negative or at best, un-affirming portrayal.
The film implicitly critiques the hypocrisy of a predominantly Christian community that harbors deep-seated racism and injustice. It portrays adherents and cultural institutions as failing to uphold basic human dignity, without significant counterbalancing positive religious portrayals.
The film 'In the Heat of the Night' does not feature any transsexual characters or themes. Its narrative is entirely centered on racial tensions and a murder mystery in a Mississippi town, therefore, no portrayal analysis is applicable.
The movie does not contain any action or adventure elements.
The film "In the Heat of the Night" is an adaptation of John Ball's 1965 novel. All significant characters, including Virgil Tibbs and Bill Gillespie, retain the same gender as established in the original source material. There are no instances of characters being portrayed on screen with a different gender than their canonical or historical representation.
The film's central characters, Virgil Tibbs and Chief Gillespie, are portrayed by actors whose race aligns with their descriptions in the original novel. No characters established as one race in the source material were depicted as a different race in the film.
Viewer Rating Breakdown
User Ratings
7.9
7.7
Critic Ratings
9.6
7.6
More Like This
Progressive
7.8
Wind River
(2017)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: High
Center
6.6
Trance
(2013)
Political: Center
Diversity: Moderate
Leans Progressive
7.0
The Mighty Quinn
(1989)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: Moderate
Leans Progressive
6.8
Bound by Honor
(1993)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: High
LGBTQ: Negative
Leans Progressive
7.1
American Psycho
(2000)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: Moderate
LGBTQ: Neutral
Progressive
7.6
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
(2005)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: High
Progressive
7.2
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
(1967)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: High
Progressive
7.7
Widows
(2018)
Political: Strong Left
Diversity: High
LGBTQ: Neutral
Leans Progressive
7.2
The Card Counter
(2021)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: Moderate
Leans Progressive
7.8
Menace II Society
(1993)
Political: Strong Left
Diversity: Moderate
Leans Progressive
7.8
Inside Man
(2006)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: Moderate
Leans Progressive
7.5
Jackie Brown
(1997)
Political: Center
Diversity: High
Leans Progressive
8.3
The Bourne Ultimatum
(2007)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: Moderate
Leans Progressive
7.9
Gosford Park
(2001)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: Moderate
LGBTQ: Neutral
Leans Progressive
8.2
Mulholland Drive
(2001)
Political: Center
Diversity: Moderate
LGBTQ: Positive
Leans Progressive
8.5
Dog Day Afternoon
(1975)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: Moderate
LGBTQ: Positive
Leans Progressive
6.9
I Care a Lot
(2021)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: Moderate
LGBTQ: Positive
Leans Progressive
7.2
Mr. Holmes
(2015)
Political: Center
Diversity: Moderate
LGBTQ: Positive
Progressive
7.8
Promising Young Woman
(2020)
Political: Strong Left
Diversity: High
Leans Progressive
7.3
Joker
(2019)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: Moderate