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:

Washington Square, North Beach, 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

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.

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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 They Call Me Mister Tibbs! (1970)

User Reviews

An obscure delight

Perhaps the least-known Poitier work, certainly of the period; at date of writing only nine IMDb members had voted on this film. This is just over 1% of the votes attained by it's initial prequel, the superb "In The Heat of the Night". Between the two is the awful-yet-lovable "They Call Me MISTER Tibbs!" which took the Virgil Tibbs franchise on a downward slope.

Those that do get to see this movie on it's rare t.v. rescreenings and decide to give it a go after the disappointing "Tibbs" will be justly rewarded. Essentially, the production team is the same as the previous film, though Gil Melle provides a jazz-orientated score instead of Quincy Jone's adequate but inappropriate themes. The domesticity is also played down, with Alan R.Trustman absent as co-writer and James R. Webb taking full control of the screenplay. Most importantly, though, is Don Medford as the well above average director. Apart from a rather crude edit where a car accident occurs in the second half of the picture, the scenes are melded together seamlessly and flow together exceptionally well.

Poitier reprises the role of Tibbs, an arrogant, aloof, bad-tempered, authoritarian, bigoted Lieutenant. As a result, this is probably the most appealing of all Sidney's characters, and he slips back into the role effortlessly. With no star names to support him, such as Rod Steiger or Martin Landau (though Raul Julia did become a star later in life), Sidney stands way above his peers. His ability to project a bad atmosphere every time he walks into a room is flawless. This time he is not let down by the plot, either, which sees Tibbs caught between the Police Department and a vigilante gang that seeks to expose a wide net of heroin dealers. The plot takes on many shifts in loyalty and focus, keeping the attention, while a chase through underground tunnels lends the requisite chase an extra air of tension. The racial motif is again absent, though a rival black cop played by Bernie Hamilton gives off a frisson of resentment.

While predictably not of the calibre of "In Heat of the Night", The Organization stands as the greatest of Sidney's seventies vehicles.