Sidney Poitier returns to the indelible character he created in In the Heat of the Night (1967) for the third and final time in The Organization (1971). In the first movie, Philadelphia police Lt. Virgil Tibbs, stranded in a small Southern town, becomes involved in a suspenseful murder investigation that served as the pretext for an examination of racial tension and the possibility for tolerance and understanding. By the time of They Call Me MISTER Tibbs! (1970), the character had switched to the San Francisco police department and race was no longer the main issue. But that movie and The Organization did attempt to tie their crime thrillers to hot-button issues of the day. If they were not as successful as the first one, they at least had Poitier's assured, commanding presence to ground them and hold audience interest.

In The Organization, a group of young activists want to break up a local drug ring. They break into the furniture warehouse used as a front by the criminals and try to steal a cache of heroin. In the course of the citizen raid, however, the store manager is killed, and one of the members of the group contacts Tibbs to confess to the break-in but to insist the murder was not their fault. Tibbs is reluctant to get involved with the vigilantes at first, but soon risks his job by helping them prove their innocence. He is soon suspended from the force, but that gives him the freedom to bust the drug ring. Although far more "liberal" in its approach and viewpoint than movies like Death Wish (1974), this can be seen as one of the spate of films that came out during this time demonstrating a sympathetic attitude toward citizens moved to action by soaring crime rates and ineffective or corrupt law enforcement.

Director Don Medford has had one of the most prolific careers of any TV director, starting with episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Untouchables, and The Rifleman in the 1950s and continuing with Dynasty, The Colbys, and The Fall Guy 30 years later. In between, he took time out to make his only two feature films, this and The Hunting Party (1971), with Oliver Reed, Gene Hackman, and Candice Bergen.

In addition to Poitier, Barbara McNair also returns from the previous film as Tibbs's wife and so do George and Wanda Spell as the Tibbs children. And look for early appearances by Ron O'Neal (Superfly, 1972), Raul Julia (The Addams Family, 1991), Daniel J. Travanti (TV's Hill Street Blues series), and Demond Wilson of the sitcom Sanford and Son. Also in the cast is Sheree North, who received a major buildup as a starlet at Fox during the 1950s and was cast in parts that would have gone to Marilyn Monroe in earlier days. By the time of this release, she had moved into steady work as a character actress.

But the main reason to see The Organization is for Sidney Poitier. In March 2002, he was honored by the Motion Picture Academy for his lifetime achievement in film. The honor was richly deserved, as noted throughout the Oscar telecast, especially by the two winners of the top acting awards, Halle Berry and Denzel Washington, performers for whom Poitier paved the way. He was not the first black American to win an Oscar; that distinction goes to Hattie McDaniel, who won Best Supporting Actress for her role in Gone with the Wind (1939). But Poitier was certainly the first black to break through to major mainstream success and become an important Hollywood star. He received his first nomination for The Defiant Ones (1958) and won Best Actor for Lilies of the Field (1963). His work has been honored by festivals and academies throughout the world.

Director: Don Medford
Producer: Walter Mirisch
Screenplay: James R. Webb
Cinematography: Joseph F. Biroc
Editing: Ferris Webster
Art Direction: George B. Chan
Original Music: Gil Melle
Cast: Sidney Poitier (Virgil Tibbs), Barbara McNair (Valerie Tibbs), Gerald S. OÕLoughlin (Lt. Pecora), Sheree North (Mrs. Morgan), Allen Garfield (Benjy), Bernie Hamilton (Lt. Jessop), Raul Julia (Juan Mendoza), Ron O'Neal (Joe Peralez), Daniel J. Travanti (Sgt. Chassman), Billy Green Bush (Dave Thomas).
C-106m.

by Rob Nixon