"In The Heat of the Night" Reflection

In class, another movie we watched was "In the Heat of the Night". Since I love mystery movies, I was slightly interested in the film, but wasn't sure how realistic it would seem given the time period it was made. I was also wondering why Professor Smith chose to watch a murder mystery in a law/history based class, but the film made the answer to that question obvious. The murder mystery helped me see how racism existed in Southern legal systems.  

Virgil Tibbs

The character who seemed the most impactful to me was Virgil Tibbs. He was arrested at a train station simply for having money while being a Black man. Despite constantly facing racism in his own job as a detective, he maintains his composure and doesn't let it affect his professionalism. It's clear that Tibbs is very intelligent, but was forced to prove himself over and over again because of being Black. 

Virgil Tibbs & the Chief

I found the relationship between Tibbs and the Chief to be one of the more compelling parts of the film. At the beginning, the Chief was visibly uncomfortable by Tibbs' presence, and was very dismissive towards him compared to his own detectives.  As the film progresses, the Chief begins to see Tibbs for more than the color of his skin, an intelligent detective who may be the only one able to solve this case in a timely manner. 

Endicott & Virgil Tibbs greenhouse slap scene

Additionally I really liked the scene where Tibbs fought back after being slapped by Endicott. This bold move shows both Endicott and the audience that Tibbs is refusing to be treated as anything less than human.

The film itself was more interesting than I initially thought, especially when looking at it from a race perspective. In the Heat of the Night feels relevant even to this day, which is sad but real. This is definitely one of those movies that's message stays with you: true equality stems from refusal to accept what is seen as normal.