Always in my top 10 list

Every time I watch it the film takes my breath away. The "they call me Mr Tibbs" line I think is easily in the top ten of all time. It's hard for people that didn't grow up during this period to understand but the film is a staggering achievement by one of my very favorite directors, Norman Jewison. It wasn't just about white bigots. Even the Tibbs character had to deal with his own racism when he wanted to nail Endicott without any hard evidence. Just brilliant on every level! Music, cinematography and editing, all rock solid. A rare near perfect film. People rave about Citizen Kane and Casablanca but I say Chinatown and In the Heat of the Night are two near perfect films.