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The Organization (1971) -- The dangerous world of international heroin trafficking is exposed in this elaborate and suspenseful crime thriller which reprises Sidney Poitier's role as Lt. Virgil Tibbs.
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Overview

User Rating:
6.0/10   411 votes
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Director:
Don Medford
Writers:
John Ball (characters)
James R. Webb (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Organization on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
9 September 1972 (Sweden) more
Genre:
Crime | Drama | Thriller more
Tagline:
The Toughest Cop Has The Guts To Take On "THE ORGANIZATION."
Plot:
After a group of young revolutionaries break into a company's corporate headquarters and steal $5,000,000 worth of heroin to keep it off the street... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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User Comments:
Taut thriller with breathless action more (11 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Sidney Poitier ... Virgil Tibbs
Barbara McNair ... Valerie Tibbs
Gerald S. O'Loughlin ... Detective Lieutenant Jack Pecora SFPD Homicide
Sheree North ... Mrs. Gloria Morgan
Fred Beir ... Bob Alford
Allen Garfield ... Benjy
Bernie Hamilton ... Detective Lieutenant Jessop SFPD Narcotics Division
Graham Jarvis ... William Martin

Raul Julia ... Juan Mendoza
Ron O'Neal ... Joe Peralez

James A. Watson Jr. ... Stacy Baker
Charles H. Gray ... George Morgan - Night Watchman

Jarion Monroe ... Larry French
Daniel J. Travanti ... Police Sergeant Leo Chassman (as Dan Travanty)
Billy Green Bush ... Dave Thomas
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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for drug related material and some violence.
Parents Guide:
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Runtime:
106 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)
Certification:
UK:AA | West Germany:16 (f) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | USA:GP (original rating) | USA:PG-13 (re-rating)
Filming Locations:
San Francisco, California, USA
Company:
Mirisch Corporation, The more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The first line of dialogue only occurs eight minutes into the movie, the second six minutes later, when the heist is over. Apart from that one line the entire heist is done without any dialogue, which is reminiscent of the wordless robbery scene in _Rififi (1955)_. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: When Tibbs chases the "thugs" into the subway, he's being shot at. When he dives away behind some oil barrels, the trolley on which the camera is mounted shows up for a second or so. more
Movie Connections:
Follows They Call Me MISTER Tibbs! (1970) more

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
8 out of 10 people found the following comment useful.
Taut thriller with breathless action, 14 August 2004
Author: John Wayne Peel (jwpeel@tiac.net) from Lynn, Massachusetts

Just the other night, I watched this film and Turner Classic Movies and was as entertained and the first time I watched this film. Like a lot of pictures of the 1970s, it is riddled with the "urban slang" of the period and seen by Hollywood. In other words, it is more colorful than real speech in the real world, but that is to be expected. It is also peopled with the great character actors of the time, many who have become stars later in their film careers.

Raul Julia plays a Puerto Rican drug dealer which was certainly no great stride for Hispanic actors working in Hollywood, but it is after all a crime drama and such people do exist. Still, Mr. Julia turns in his usual five-star performance. Poitier is his usual cool and intelligent self which is a big thing in films of just about any period, and Alan Garfield again plays the New York con with his usual believability.

The chase in the finale is breathtaking and equal to that of such great films as "The French Connection." Also, the kicker is in the final expedition seen where the entire crime is exposed by the brilliant work of our intrepid hero detective Virgil Tibbs.

One of the notable actors in this film is Sherry North who plays the rich Park Avenue white woman with a past in a manner not unlike her work in "Charlie Varrick."

It is a shame that Sidney Poitier did not again portray Virgil Tibbs, but we do have these three films, two of which are sensational. It is a privilege to add it to my detective movies on video collection.

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