Viewed in
2007
Premise
A black police officer stumbles upon a murder mystery in a racist town in Mississippi in the 1960's.
Who should watch
Sidney Poitier fans. Those who want to be good screenwriters.
Thoughts
This film was awesome. Not only was the acting superb by heavyweights Rod Steiger and Sidney Poitier, but the story was well written. By today's standards, the town's racism might seem stereotypical. However, that was the point of the film makers, that there were places like this that looked down upon a black person.
Both main characters were smart, complex and conflicted. I was disappointed to find out that Sidney Poitier was not even nominated for best actor. He was just a presence you could not deny. The writing showed that all of the characters had racially-motivated actions and prejudices.
This film was not rated. By today's standards, it should be borderline between PG-13 and R. Like any smart racially themed film, racial slurs were said often, but used in a realistic manner. Oh, and there was an almost nude lady strutting her stuff.
What I would change
Nothing.
