The Organization

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  October 18, 2009

  hypathio7

  A year later the third mystery starring Sidney Poitier as Lieutenant Virgil Tibbs was released. This one starts with a thrilling heist. There is an element of the recent TNT show Leverage in this plot as a group of criminals and ex-druggies work together for a good cause. That...( read more) is namely to get a supply of drugs off the street and bring down the titular international Organization. Tibbs is the good cop on the force that this group who pulled off the drug heist decide to put their trust in. They are framed for murder. Tibbs puts his career on the line by working with this suspect group. This sequel doesn't put as much focus on Tibbs' family. Some father and son generation gap issues and the risque display of affection between a black husband and wife are shown. Otherwise, the plot is more complicated with this mystery. There are double crosses and a higher body count. A couple foot chases and a car chase are squeezed in again. Tibbs does have to do some investigating without his badge and there is more tension between some of the officers (the narcotics division and homicide division, the police management and regular detectives). However in the end, the movie concludes with the same sort of too convenient ending that wants us to believe that justice has been done.

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• 
  
  October 16, 2009

  stopitgoaway

  Perhaps the least-known Poitier work, certainly of the period; at date of writing only three flixster 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-lovabl...( read more)e "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.

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• 
  
  September 9, 2009

  phantopp

  While investigating a corporate break-in, San Francisco Police Detective "Virgil Tibbs" (Sidney Portier) discovers that the suspects are in reality a group of revolutionaries bent on destroying a drug cartel known as "The Organization." Without permission from his superiors, "Tib...( read more)bs" begins to work with the revolutionaries. They work their own ways, "Tibbs" working within police regulations, but still together.
  
  This is a pretty well written movie, but with some slight flaws in performances. The pacing of the movie is slow, but well paced.
  
  The stand out performance is easily Portier. This is the third movie where he portrays "Tibbs," of which he is probably best known for. He plays "Tibbs" two ways in the film. First, he plays the cop. You actually believe that he is a veteran on the police force. "Tibbs" passion is his work, and Portier makes you believe it. He also plays "Tibbs" as a family man who obviously loves his family. We don't get to see a lot of this side of the character since the focus is on the case he is on.
  
  One problem with this movie is that the supporting characters is poorly presented. There is little to no development in the revolutionaries, and we don't get to see much of "The Organization" beyond the hired guns. I was also unimpressed with their on-screen chemistry with each other. Not one really stood out if you ask me. In fact, I felt that these characters would fit better in an early-1970's television series than in a major motion picture.
  
  When it comes to the soundtrack, it's typical 1970's movie music. Not one piece is memorable. However, some pieces of music was used quite well in scenes.
  
  The action is pretty toned down in this film, probably because of the time it was filmed. You get a lot of chases on foot, and one pretty forgettable car chase. You also get some gun play with little blood. There is little to no intensity in the action scenes. The only thing that makes these scenes intense is the music played over them.
  
  There is a pretty good, and unexpected twist at the end of the movie, and it's handled pretty well thanks to Portier's performance. I didn't see it coming. There is also some really good transition edits in this film that I thought were done nicely.
  
  Though not a perfect movie, it is enjoyable, mostly thanks to Portier's performance.
  
  If you ever catch this on HBO or the free section of your On Demand service, check it out if your regular show is either not on for alternative programming or in a rerun. I actually watched it on Hulu, and only had to deal with about two minutes of commercials, which were sometimes oddly placed.

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  November 27, 2006

  deano

  Good crime-thriller that exposes the ruthless, high-stakes world of international drug trafficking.

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