Sidney Poitier, in one of his most-celebrated roles, appears as Virgil Tibbs, a Philadelphia homicide detective who, while visiting a small Mississippi town, finds himself falsely arrested for a murder and then, in a strained collaboration with the town's sheriff (Rod Steiger), stays on to help solve the murder. Winner of 5 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Steiger), and Best Editing (Hal Ashby, just prior to the start of his directing career).