With a fistful of Oscars (including Best Picture and Best Actor), a couple of sequels and a twenty-years-later remake and spin-off TV series, this adaptation of John Balls lean thriller obviously qualifies as more than just another small town murder mystery. Cool big city cop Sidney Poitier happens to be caught in a bigoted Southern town when a bizarre murder is committed and, after tussling with the local good ole boy Sheriff (Rod Steiger), finds himself drafted in to help out with the investigation.
The twist-filled storyline, which digs up nasty secrets all over the show and offers a satisfying range of suspicious suspects and a truly disgusting killer, remains gripping, and the excellent, understated lead performances don't harp on the racial angle in that embarassing fashion which makes so many Socialy Significant films instantly dated. Warren Oates, Scott Wilson, Lee Grant and (especially) Anthony James, offer sterling support, and there's a cool jazz score from Quincy Jones. Probably Norman Jewison's best picture.
