Heat of the Night Movie Reflection

    Heat of the Night is my favorite movie that we have watched this semester in class. It was full of mystery, suspense, action, and unlikely friendships. The movie follows a black detective from Philadelphia who helps a police force in Mississippi with a murder case. The movie takes place in 1967 and race relations were very different in Philadelphia then it was in Mississippi. In Philadelphia the schools were integrated, there were lots of job opportunities for black people, and society was overall very blended. 

    During 1967, there was a peaceful protest in Philly called the "Philadelphia Walkout." During this protest teachers, students, and officials walked out of school and peacefully protested for equality and desegregation of schools. Philadelphia was much more progressive than Mississippi and you can see why the two main characters butted heads so much and had a hard time getting along. Mississippi during the 1900 was way different then Philly. In Mississippi there was still a lot of violence and discrimination shown towards black people. "The racial terrorism ranged from cross burning and church burning to beatings and murders. In 1964 alone Klansmen had killed 6 people, shot 35, and beaten another 80." (American Public Media) There was a clear difference in treatment towards black people in these two states and the movie did a great job at demonstrating the struggle for people in Mississippi and the deep South to accept that black people. 

    In the movie, you see the Police Chief originally arrest the black detective as a suspect to the murder. He later learns that the detective is a respected man from Philly and that he can be a big help in solving the case. The police chief from Mississippi goes through an identity crisis through the movie and he struggles with accepting the black detective or sticking to the social norms of Mississippi and discriminating against the detective. It is interesting to see the police chief struggle with following the detective vs following his own agenda. One of the most powerful scenes is when the detective gets ganged up on and jumped by a bunch of white men and the police chief bursts in and stops them. This was a defining scene and a shift in the police chiefs beliefs. He finally begins to accept the detective and together they are able to catch the murderer.