In the Heat of the Night 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

In the Heat of the Night 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 3, 2025

Norman Jewison's "In the Heat of the Night" (1967) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; archival audio commentary with Norman Jewison, cinematographer Haskell Wexler, and actors Rod Steiger and Lee Grant; archival interview with Sidney Poitier; exclusive new video interview with Norman Jewison; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Gonna get that boy

What happens if a group of people spend their lives isolated in a bubble where all they hear is the echo of their own prejudiced voices? They gradually become convinced that the bubble is a replica of the real world that they are a part of, and eventually the bubble’s rules and logic become their credo. The size of this place rarely matters, what does is how strong it is. The more difficult it is to crack it, the more delusional and dangerous its inhabitants usually are.

Norman Jewison’s film In the Heat of the Night is set in the early ‘60s and it is about one such bubble that has found a cozy place to exist somewhere in the heart of Mississippi. It is so small that in it everybody knows everybody by name, and though often some of its inhabitants don’t see each other for months, at any moment they know exactly where to look for their neighbors -- the blacks are on that side, while the whites are on the exact opposite side. It is a simple map to remember, practical too.

But the seemingly perfect bubble is seriously shaken up when on a hot summer night the cold body of a wealthy businessman who has been preparing to open a plant that will provide employment for a large number of people is discovered by a lonely policeman (Warren Oates), and shortly after a ‘colored man’ (Sidney Poitier) from out of town is picked up at the local train station. Police Chief Gillespie (Rod Steiger) quickly goes to work to solve the murder mystery, and then just as quickly concludes that he has all he needs to officially declare that the killer is the man that has been brought to him. However, Gillespie’s theory instantly falls apart when the ‘killer’ pulls out a police badge and then his superior from up North confirms to him that he is in fact one of his best murder investigators. Gillespie then reluctantly begins reevaluating the murder case, and eventually just as reluctantly agrees to use the investigator to help him solve it. Inside the bubble, however, very few people like the idea, and the closer the two men get to the real killer, the more vocal their objections become.

This award-wining film is based on the popular novel by John Ball and exactly like it uses the murder case as a ruse to scorch a bunch of bigots. It plows right through the ugly that defines them and at the end leaves them to drown in their numerous prejudices and hypocrisy. All of this is extremely easy to see and understand.

However, much like Robert Altman’s The Player -- which is another very good film that uses a murder case to expose a much larger and more diverse group of bigots and hypocrites but in a slightly more delicate manner -- the film also mixes the ugly with a decent dose of humor that can make parts of it look quite surreal, and that is where its Achilles’ heel is because it was meant to look legit. For example, even though Steiger won an Oscar for his performance, the mannerisms of his character are so exaggerated that he frequently emerges as a parody figure that was borrowed from an entirely different film. (The macho attitude and especially the awful mumbling with the chewing gum in the segment where the cold body of the businessman is examined, for instance, are so over the top and out of sync that it is flat-out odd that edits were not made). Quite predictably, when much later on the film attempts to make the crucial point that Steiger and Poitier’s characters are more or less the same because they are loners using their work to hide their frustration, and that they are both left with no other choice but to pretend that the racism around them is just another normal fact of life, the comparison looks incredibly suspicious.

Thankfully, some of the supporting actors manage to look a lot more authentic. Oates, who was born and raised in Kentucky, pretty much nails that classic Southern laid-back attitude, though when Steiger starts confronting him he too begins exaggerating some of the immediate reactions of his deputy.

The soundtrack that Quincy Jones created is very interesting. Instead of simply enhancing the existing atmosphere, the music actually tries to do all sorts of neat things to produce contrasts that bring in new energy. During the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, in Europe plenty of composers did something very similar when they scored various genre films. (Listen to Ennio Morricone’s soundtrack for Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion, and Bruno Madena’s soundtrack for Death Laid an Egg). A very fine recording of Ray Charles singing In the Heat of the Night is also heard in the film.

In the Heat of the Night 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Criterion's release of in the Heat of the Night is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-A "locked".

Please note that all screencaptures included with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray disc and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc.

This combo pack arrives six years after Criterion released In the Heat of the Night on Blu-ray. The previous Blu-ray release introduced a wonderful 4K restoration of the film prepared at Sony Pictures. The same 4K restoration can now be viewed in native 4K on the 4K Blu-ray disc in the combo pack.

If you have seen our review of Kino Lorber's 4K Blu-ray release of In the Heat of the Night, which presents the same 4K restoration on 4K Blu-ray, without a 1080p presentation of it on Blu-ray, you already know how I feel about the film's appearance in native 4K. I think that it has an outstanding, enormously attractive organic appearance. It cannot be viewed with Dolby Vision or HDR grades, and I think that this might have been the correct way to present it. Color reproduction and balance are simply superb, and I just cannot identify any areas where either Dolby Vision or HDR could have improved something. What improvements does the 4K presentation bring? On my system, some density fluctuations appear more natural, but I suspect that this is an improvement that trained eyes will appreciate the most. Additionally, on a very large screen, density levels are outstanding throughout the entire film. On my system, I was again able to see a small difference in how large panoramic material is handled in native 4K and 1080p on the Blu-ray. This said, I still think that the entire film looks terrific on Blu-ray and would have been perfectly happy with it being its final home video release. Ultimately, the size of your screen will most likely determine whether you should consider an upgrade. If it is very big, or you can project 4K content, an upgrade is probably easy to justify.

In the Heat of the Night 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English LPCM 1.0 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

On Criterion's Blu-ray release, In the Heat of the Night was presented only with its original Mono track. Now, there is a 5.1 track on the 4K Blu-ray. This 5.1 track was also included on Kino Lorber's 4K Blu-ray release of the film. While purists will insist that the film should be viewed only with the Mono track, I think that the 5.1 track is definitely worth experimenting with. It is very good. You do not have to perform specific comparisons to discover that it opens various sequences quite well. Obviously, all native contrasts and music that are present on the original soundtrack remain unchanged. While revisiting the film in native 4K, I did not encounter any encoding anomalies.

In the Heat of the Night 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Audio Commentary - this archival audio commentary features Norman Jewison, cinematographer Haskell Wexler, and actors Rod Steiger and Lee Grant. It was recorded in 2008, and has already appeared on other home video releases of In the Heat of the Night.
  
  1. Into a mystery
  2. Over the top
  3. Separate but equal
  4. Great dance
  5. Lighting
  6. Truthful and honest
  7. Location, location, location
  8. That one moment
  9. So real
  10. Laughter and tears
  11. Big damn responsibility
  12. Connection
  13. Making it believable
  14. Good enough

BLU-RAY DISC

• Audio Commentary - this archival audio commentary features Norman Jewison, cinematographer Haskell Wexler, and actors Rod Steiger and Lee Grant. It was recorded in 2008, and has already appeared on other home video releases of In the Heat of the Night.
  
  1. Into a mystery
  2. Over the top
  3. Separate but equal
  4. Great dance
  5. Lighting
  6. Truthful and honest
  7. Location, location, location
  8. That one moment
  9. So real
  10. Laughter and tears
  11. Big damn responsibility
  12. Connection
  13. Making it believable
  14. Good enough

• Norman Jewison - in this new video interview, Norman Jewison recalls how he was given John Ball's novel and his first thoughts on whether it could make a good film, and discusses his work with various cast and crew members during the production of In the Heat of the Night. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in Toronto in 2018. In English, not subtitled. (13 min).

• Lee Grant - in this new video interview, actress Lee Grant discusses her blacklisting in Hollywood and how it impacted her acting career as well as her contribution to In the Heat of the Night. Sadly, the interview contains expletives that make parts of it sound like extracts from a political outburst. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in New York in 2018. In English, not subtitled. (15 min).

• Sidney Poitier - in this archival video interview, Sidney Poitier recalls how he became involved with In the Heat of the Night and explains it was risky project at the time when it was initiated. The interview was included in the American Film Institute's 100 Years... 100 Cheers television special which originally aired on June 14, 2006. In English, not subtitled. (8 min).

• Aram Goudsouzian - in this new video interview, Aram Goudsouzian, chair of the history department the University of Memphis and author of Sidney Poitier: Man, Actor, Icon, discusses the evolution of Sidney Poitier's career and the type of characters that he played and eventually solidified his image as a Hollywood star. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in Memphis, Tennessee, in October 2018. In English, not subtitled. (18 min).

• Turning Up the Heat - this archival program takes a closer at the production history of In the Heat of the Night. Included in it are clips from interviews with director Norman Jewison, producer Walter Mirisch, filmmakers John Singleton and Reginald Hudlin, and film historian Patricia King Hanson, amongst others. The program was produced in 2008. In English, not subtitled. (22 min).

• Quincy Jones - this archival featurette focuses on Quincy Jones' career and the unique soundtrack that he created for In the Heat of the Night. Included in it are clips from interviews with the Grammy-winning composer, jazz legend Herbie Hancock, and film music historian Jon Burlingame, amongst others. The program was produced in 2008. In English, not subtitled. (13 min).

• Trailer - an original trailer for In the Heat of the Night. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by film critic K. Austin Collins, as well as technical credits.

In the Heat of the Night 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Some years ago there were enough creative people in Hollywood who had a genuine connection with real America that allowed them to understand the experiences of ordinary Americans, and some recreated them in their films. In the Heat of the Night is a product of this understanding. In case you are wondering, this is not my opinion. It is an opinion shared in the archival audio commentary included on this release, and I just happen to wholeheartedly agree with it. Contemporary Hollywood is different. I think that it is even worse than the elitist community Robert Altman depicted in The Player, and the crucial connection between its stars and ordinary Americans that existed in the old days may very well be permanently lost. It is one of the key reasons why in recent years there has been so much public animosity between the two sides. In the Heat of the Night tells a story about a murder case, but it is really about prejudice, the ugliest type of bigotry, and ultimately the refusal to accept that the 'other side' has the right to be... well, right. Think about this. Six years ago, Criterion introduced a gorgeous 4K restoration of In the Heat of the Night on Blu-ray. This combo pack presents the same 4K restoration on 4K Blu-ray. While 4K systems can vary quite a bit, I suspect that the size of your screen will most likely determine whether you should consider an upgrade. If it is very big, or you can project 4K content, an upgrade is probably easy to justify. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.