The Organization (1971)

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, they call on San Francisco Police ... See full summary »

Director:

Don Medford

Writers:

James R. Webb, John Ball (character)

Stars:

Sidney Poitier, Barbara McNair, Gerald S. O'Loughlin

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sidney Poitier	...	Virgil Tibbs
Barbara McNair	...	Valerie Tibbs
Gerald S. O'Loughlin	...	Jack Pecora
Sheree North	...	Mrs. Morgan
Fred Beir	...	Bob Alford
Allen Garfield	...	Benjy
Bernie Hamilton	...	Lt. Jessop
Graham Jarvis	...	William Martin
Raul Julia	...	Juan Mendoza
Ron O'Neal	...	Joe Peralez
James A. Watson Jr.	...	Stacy Baker
Charles H. Gray	...	Night Watchman
Jarion Monroe	...	Larry French
Daniel J. Travanti	...	Sgt. Chassman (as Dan Travanty)
Billy Green Bush	...	Dave Thomas (as Billy 'Green' Bush)

Storyline

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, they call on San Francisco Police Lieutenant Virgil Tibbs for assistance. Tibbs is understandably reticent about helping the radicals, since they broke a number of laws (despite a good cause), but when the group is also accused of a murder it didn't commit, Tibbs decides to go along, but without the police department's knowledge.

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Plot Keywords:

police | heroin | drugs | murder | sniper | 

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Taglines:

The Toughest Cop Has The Guts To Take On "THE ORGANIZATION."

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for drug related material and some violence

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 May 1972 (France)

Also Known As:

Die Organisation

Filming Locations:

Frolic Room, 141 Mason Street, San Francisco, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mirisch Corporation, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In 1971, United Artists distributed this film on a double bill with Lawman starring Burt Lancaster and Robert Ryan.

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Goofs

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.

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Connections

Follows In the Heat of the Night (1967)

User Reviews

V. Tibbs still at it!

Sydney reprises his Mr. Tibbs moniker in a nicely paced crime drama that has some well orchestrated action sequences, especially the one at the onset of the film. Those first 10 minutes or so reminded me of the heist scene in "Rififi" (1955), in that this scene too was captured with no dialog, letting the viewer see for himself how the action plan was set into motion.

Some reviewers "dissed" the 70's sound track and street jargon, but what do you expect? It's a period piece, a 70's action film and by definition will employ those contemporary motifs. To me, it's both refreshing and amusing to be thrust back into the cultural modes of yesteryear.

The plot line may have had some small weaknesses to it and some of the actors were no Academy Award nominee hopefuls, but the thrust of the film keeps you attentive and anticipatory. Also, it was nice to see Raul Julia, Demond Wilson and Ron O'Neal in one of their earlier films. Sydney, as usual, shines in his rendition of the Tibbs detective. But the plot twists toward the end where Mr. Tibbs puts the pieces together and gets ready to see justice served... Well, see for yourself in this brutally realistic conclusion.