Sidney Poitier
Virgil Tibbs
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Thriller
A police detective's investigation of a prostitute's murder points to his best friend.
Top Billed Cast
| Release Date | 1970-07-10 |
|---|---|
| Runtime | 1h 48m |
| Directors | Gordon Douglas, Gerald Perry Finnerman |
| Producers | Herbert Hirschman, Walter Mirisch |
| Writers | Alan Trustman, James R. Webb, John Ball |
Wait... he's in Frisco now? How did that happen and where did his family come from and... you know what, forget about it, I'm pretty sure that this was a completely different movie and they just changed the character to Tibbs to ride on the coat tails of In the Heat of the Night...
... because this movie stank. It's pretty much a mindless exploitation cop flick with the lead character, in name only, from a gripping and dramatic mystery rife with social commentary.
Walk away, walk away fast and if you ever get a time machine, go back and beg Sydney not to make this.
— GenerationofSwine
If this were to be taken out of the context of a sequel to "In the Heat of the Night" then it might have made for a decent enough American cop drama. However, Sidney Poitier's attempt to reprise his character from that earlier film rather falls flat. An expensive hooker is found murdered and "Mr. Tibbs" is called in to investigate. He still faces the racial/social stereotypes and prejudices from his colleagues as he tries to get to the bottom of the crime as well as a few family issues. Martin Landau is quite spooky as the dodgy priest "Logan Sharpe" but the relocation to San Francisco and the much more sterile delivery leaves this wallowing in a mire of mediocrity that renders it pretty run-of-the-mill with little to recommend it. Anthony Zerbe & Ed Asner crop up now and again to try and help it out, but sadly you'll have seen this kind of thriller many times before and since...
— CinemaSerf