In the Heat of the Night (1967) - PG

Compelling to this day and the inspiration for a long-running television program in the 1990s, this film stars Sidney Poitier and Rod Stieger in powerful performances. Poitier plays Virgil Tibbs, a Philadelphia homicide detective who is home to see his mother in the rural South. He is arrested on general principles when a rich white man is found dead, and the fact that Tibbs is black is enough reason to arrest him. Once his identity as an officer of the law is established, his boss in Philadelphia offers his services to the small town chief of police who has little experience with murder investigations. As the two policemen learn how to overcome their mistrust for one another and work together, they begin to make progress on the crime. Its outcome is a surprise.

Questions for reflections and/or discussion:

• Were you surprised when Virgil Tibbs was slapped? Were you surprised when he slapped back? Why do you think that was so shocking - both to the characters involved and to much of the audience?
  
  
• Virgil Tibbs is an "outsider" from Philadelphia who questions and shakes up the status quo. Why do you think an outsider is often used in movies to shake up the establishment and status quo?
  
  
• Chief Gillespie learns to trust Detective Tibbs, and Detective Tibbs learns to trust Chief Gillespie. What moments in the movie were important in the characters establishing trust with one another?