Virgil Tibbs Trilogy

Sidney Poitier

Martin Landau

Barbara McNair

Anthony Zerbe

Ed Asner

Jeff Corey

Norma Crane

Juano Hernández

David Sheiner

Beverly Todd

Ted Gehring

Linda Towne

Garry Walberg

George Spell

Wanda Spell

John Hillerman

Hilly Hicks

Gordon Douglas

Quincy Jones

John Ball

Alan Trustman

James R. Webb

Herbert Hirschman

Gerald Perry Finnerman

Bud Molin

Lynn Stalmaster

Walter Mirisch

Addison Hehr

Edward G. Boyle

Bob Herron

Drama

Action

Thriller

Crime

Mystery

They Call Me Mister Tibbs!

The Mirisch Company

United Artists

United States of America

Wait... he's in Frisco now?  How did that happen and where did his family come from and... you know what, forget about it, I'm pretty sure that this was a completely different movie and they just changed the character to Tibbs to ride on the coat tails of In the Heat of the Night...

... because this movie stank.  It's pretty much a mindless exploitation cop flick with the lead character, in name only, from a gripping and dramatic mystery rife with social commentary.

Walk away, walk away fast and if you ever get a time machine, go back and beg Sydney not to make this.

CinemaSerf

If this were to be taken out of the context of a sequel to "In the Heat of the Night" then it might have made for a decent enough American cop drama. However, Sidney Poitier's attempt to reprise his character from that earlier film rather falls flat. An expensive hooker is found murdered and "Mr. Tibbs" is called in to investigate. He still faces the racial/social stereotypes and prejudices from his colleagues as he tries to get to the bottom of the crime as well as a few family issues. Martin Landau is quite spooky as the dodgy priest "Logan Sharpe" but the relocation to San Francisco and the much more sterile delivery leaves this wallowing in a mire of mediocrity that renders it pretty run-of-the-mill with little to recommend it. Anthony Zerbe & Ed Asner crop up now and again to try and help it out, but sadly you'll have seen this kind of thriller many times before and since...