In the Heat of the Night (12A)
Directed by Norman Jewison
5/5
AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN arrested in a small racist Mississippi town on suspicion of murdering one of its leading citizens, turns out to be a top-level homicide detective from Philadelphia. To prove his innocence, he joins forces with the local bigoted police chief to find the killer.
That, in summary, is the kernel of this 1967 film which delivers so much more.
This adaptation of John Hall’s 1965 novel, published after the US Civil Rights Act came into being, deservedly won the best picture Oscar and also gained Academy awards for screenwriter Stirling Silliphant and Rod Steiger for his searing portrait of prejudiced police chief Gillespie.
Yet some things don’t change and, given the still appalling state of US race relations, the film is possibly even more disturbing half a century later.
Director Norman Jewison unravels the relatively complex homicide plot compellingly and, thankfully, eschews self-serving directorial flourishes
Instead, he ensures the story makes a full dramatic impact as a police procedural, aided and abetted by convincing Deep South locations, atmospheric cinematography (Haskell Wexler) and, best of all, definitive portrayals by Steiger and Sidney Poitier as Philadelphia cop Virgil Tibbs.
Wearing suit and tie, in marked contrast to the more casual Southerners, Poitier, who refused to go south of the notorious Mason-Dixon line for filming, creates a credible and compelling character, superlative both in his justifiable conflict with racists — “They call me Mister Tibbs!” he retorts when locals mock his Christian name Virgil — and as Gillespie’s improbable collaborator.
In The Heat of the Night still grips. And it makes you angry too.
Review by Alan Frank

Your Name (12A)
Directed by Makoto Shinkai
4/5
FOR those in need of a Studio Ghibli fix, this stunning anime feature from the man hailed as the new Hayao Miyazaki is just the job.
Writer-director Makoto Shinkai delivers a gorgeous and captivating animation which skilfully balances traditional with contemporary ways of life and sci-fi elements.
A thought-provoking tale about the thread of fate and love through time and space, it centres on two teenagers whose lives are transformed with the first sight of a comet in Japan for 1,000 years. Mitsuha (Mone Kamishiraishi) is a schoolgirl who lives in a small Japanese mountain town while Taki (Ryunosuike Tachibaya) is a schoolboy who waits tables in Tokyo.
Their lives are turned upside down when they wake up one morning in each other’s bodies but once they overcome their initial shock they start enjoying their unique situation, leaving each other messages on their smart phones.
Evocative of body-swapping films such as It’s a Boy Girl Thing crossed with The Lake House, Shinkai gives the genre a fresh and heart-melting twist.
It is wonderfully entertaining, with sumptuous animation and a story full of fascinating layers and hidden depths which won’t leave you confounded or lost.
Eat your heart out, Studio Ghibli.
Review by Maria Duarte

Indignation (15)
Directed by James Schamus
5/5
NOTABLE screenwriter James Schamus (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) makes an impressive directorial debut with this riveting coming-of-age drama he has scripted from Philip Roth’s 29th novel.
Set in 1951, it tells the story of the young and idealistic Marcus (Logan Lerman), who works in his father’s kosher butcher’s shop in an insular Jewish community.
He wins a scholarship to a small, conservative college in Ohio with only 80 Jews among the 1,400 student body but the plus is that he avoids the draft to fight in Korea.
Marcus’s college life is a compelling if largely depressing portrait of an intelligent teenager struggling to survive in an unfamiliar environment on his own terms.
His clashes with his Jewish roommates determine his views of life without regard for traditions and he gets involved in an overemotional, sexually revealing romance with psychologically troubled Christian student Olivia (Sarah Gadon).
Performances in major and minor roles are absolutely on target, with Lerman and Gadon outstanding, as is Tracy Letts, unforgettable as the meddlesome college Dean.
His spellbinding verbal jousting with Marcus, culminating in his verbally attacking him for his admiration for Bertrand Russell, stands out as the most revelatory scene in this psychologically true small-scale drama.
But its flawed characters, all too credible, make a major impact and linger in the mind long after the end credits.
Review by Alan Frank