In the Heat of the Night

In the Heat of the Night recounts the classic, highly charged story of an African American police officer asked to investigate a murder in a racially hostile southern town. It’s a torrid night in 1965 Argo, Alabama when a dead white man is found. The local police, desperately searching for a motive and a suspect, arrest a black man passing through town. The police soon discover that their suspect is an expert homicide detective from LA and they must confront their personal prejudices as they are forced to work side by side to solve the crime. The award winning film version starring Sidney Poitier remains emblematic of our country in the 1960s. Fifty years later, Pelfry’s new adaptation of the novel leaves room for the evolution of these attitudes. But watching the nightly news – how far have we come?