炎热的夜晚

Philip Colbert, a wealthy man from Chicago who was planning to build a factory in the rural town of Sparta, Mississippi, is found murdered. Police Chief Bill Gillespie (Rod Steiger) comes under pressure to quickly find Colbert's killer. African-American northerner Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier), passing through, is picked up at the train station by a police officer (Rod Steiger) who finds Tibbs with a substantial amount of cash in his wallet. Officer Gillespie, heavily prejudiced against blacks, jumps to the conclusion that he has his culprit, but is embarrassed to learn that Tibbs is a respected Philadelphia homicide detective who had been visiting his mother. After the bigoted treatment he received, Tibbs wants nothing more than to leave Sparta as quickly as possible, but his captain recommends he stay and help the investigation. The victim's widow, already frustrated by the ineptitude of the local police, is impressed by Tibbs' expert ability when he clears another wrongly-accused suspect Gillespie has arrested on flimsy evidence. She threatens to stop construction on the much-needed factory unless Tibbs leads the investigation. Unwilling to accept help but under orders from the town's mayor, Gillespie talks Tibbs into lending his services. Despite the rocky start to their relationship, the two police come to respect each other as they are compelled to work together to solve the crime. Tibbs initially suspects wealthy plantation owner Eric Endicott, who opposed the new factory. When he attempts to interrogate Endicott about Colbert, Endicott slaps him in the face. Tibbs slaps him back, which leads to Endicott sending a gang of redneck hooligans after Tibbs. Gillespie rescues Tibbs from the fight and orders him to leave town for his own safety. Tibbs refuses to leave until he has solved the case. Tibbs asks Sam Wood, the officer who discovered the body, to retrace his steps the night of the murder. He and Gillespie accompany Sam on his patrol route, stopping at a diner where the counterman, Ralph Henshaw, refuses to serve Tibbs because he is black. When Tibbs notices that Sam has deliberately changed his route, Gillespie begins to suspect Sam of the crime. When he discovers that Sam made a sizable deposit into his bank account the day after the murder (which Sam claims was gambling winnings) and Lloyd Purdy, a local, files charges against Sam for getting Purdy's 16-year-old sister, Delores, pregnant, Gillespie arrests Sam for the murder over Tibbs' protests. Purdy is insulted that Tibbs, a black man, was present for his sister's interrogation about her sexual encounter with Sam, and he gathers a lynch mob to get his revenge on Tibbs. Tibbs is able to clear Sam by finding the original murder scene and pointing out that Sam would not have been able to drive two cars at the same time to dump the body and the victim's car while continuing on his patrol. Acting on a hunch, Tibbs tracks down the local back-room abortionist, who reveals that someone paid for Delores Purdy to have an abortion. When Delores arrives, Tibbs pursues her outside, where he is confronted by the murderer: the diner counterman Ralph Henshaw. Purdy's mob tracks down Tibbs at this moment, and he is being held at gunpoint when he proves to Purdy that it was Ralph, not Sam, who got Delores pregnant. Purdy attacks Ralph, who kills Purdy in self-defense. Ralph is arrested and confesses to the murder of Colbert. He had attempted to rob Colbert to gain money to pay for Delores' abortion but accidentally killed him. His job done, Tibbs finally boards the Gulf, Mobile, & Ohio train out of town, seen off by a more respectful Gillespie.

两个弱势群体的相近，女人和黑人。 很喜欢老南方的感觉，不论是乱世佳人，还是后来，且不论关于种族的论题，守旧而悠扬的感觉，普通炎热中寻求难得的凉爽。 人的出身分类的议题终于走到了这一步。从南北方，到犹太人，到拉丁裔，到波多黎各移民，终于到了黑人，step by step。有的人对异教徒如此排斥，有的人在肤色面前把信仰放在第二位。似乎为了维持想象中的世界，不得不拿起执念。 代入式的镜头太棒了。男主属实帅！！

影片着力塑造了黑人警官维吉的英雄形象。维吉正直,善良,坚持真理,支持公道，又具有高超的凶杀案破案能力。当他身处种族歧视严重的密西西比州时，对那无知警察的无理拘捕只能忍让；面对警官比尔的傲慢轻视，表示宽容，必要时亮出身份，不卑不亢。他对比尔明确指出：他抓错了人，尽到一个警官应尽的职责。在死者妻子的要求与比尔的激励下，答应参与破案；面对四个歹徒欲将他置于死地，毫无惧色，一身豪气，奋勇搏斗。他对有钱白人先是给予礼仪，对他恶意影射的语言置之不理，挨了一下后立即还以更响亮的一记耳光。即便是对本无好感的白人，也决不冤枉。他的这些行为，充分表现出他的优秀品质；而这些品质,无论对哪个种族,对哪个阶层的人来说，都是难能可贵的。 影片描述的故事，是发生在1962年，即马丁.路德.金率二十万人向华盛顿"自由进军"的前一年，地点在密西西比州。影片如实地反映了当时当地种族歧视情况严重的社会现实：那些无知愚昧的白人对黑人极为仇视，有的敢当面骂维吉“黑鬼”，有的轻易就做歹徒去追杀维吉；那白人有钱人居然敢给黑人警官一记耳光，还说如在几十年前会一枪毙了他。但也有那死者的妻子，坚持要维吉来办她丈夫的案子，可说是个明白人。而警长比尔更是从开始对维吉傲慢无礼到肯定他的才干；从激励他留下参与办案到又诚心希望他离去以免遭不测；带他去到一个黑人汽修工家住宿；及时帮维吉解除十分危急的境况，还给了一白人歹徒狠狠一拳；对那有钱白人对维吉的无礼很表反感，而对维吉还他的一记耳光，在心里深表称许；最后，亲送维吉上火车，微笑着真诚地要他“保重”。可见，比尔的所作所为，代表了有良知的美国人，是当时美国时代精神的一个方面的反映。从而，到1964年，约翰逊总统签署了“人权法案”。 影片中还有两处细节描写了黑人：一是黑人汽修工对维吉来他家表示高兴；再是有钱白人的仆人对他的主人瞪了眼睛，微微摇头。这些，影片都有其用心。 时代前进了。类似影片中那种严重的种族歧视的事，现今虽不能说完全没有，毕竟不会重现，而种族偏见的情况随处可见。影片是有它的永久的警世意义。