The Organization (1971)

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Ah, the 70's. Big guns, bigger cars and acknowledgements that *GASP!* police departments have black people too. Close on the heels of Isaac Hayes as Shaft, there was Sidney Poitier as Mister Tibbs. Both starred in a number of films based around their characters, although Poitiers tended to be slightly more realistic in nature (What with them being directly made with the assistance of the local force) and with less wanton violence.That doesn't mean they were immune to suffering from cliché-itis, though. So you have the usual schtick where the bad guys turn out to be the good guys, endless chase sequences through crowded streets and of course... The 'pivotal' moment where Tibbs has to hand over his gun and badge due to him being suspected of corruption. It may not be the movie's fault that such scenes have been done to death over 40 years, but it is what it is.Poitier keeps things ticking over nicely with his usual reliable screen presence, and the sparse family moments he shares with his wife and son are a nice touch... Although, too brief to really be that effective. Overall, it's an interesting look at a Gene Hunt era of law enforcement which is long since past (for better or worse) but in terms of entertainment, very, very average. 5/10

***SPOILERS*** The third and final installment of the adventures of former Philadelphia detective Let. Virgil Tibbs, Sidney Poitier. Tibbs now a member of the SFDP homicide division gets in over his head in an effort to take on "The Organization" that's running both the city and State.In the movie Tibbs gets himself involved with this rag tag revolutionary group made up of former junkies or persons who had members of their family or friends end up dead because of using illegal drugs. Drugs that "The Organization"-through its army of drug pushers-supplied to them at a nifty profit for itself! The revolutionaries lead by street corner preacher Dave Thomas, Billy Green Bush, had raided one of "The Organization's" phony business fronts, the Century Furniture Co., used as a storage center for it's drug shipments. During the raid, where the revolutionary's ripped off $4,000,000.00 in heroin, the CEO of the company John J. Bishop, Johnny Haymer, was murdered. Not by the revolutionaries but by someone, or someones, who were afraid he'd talk to the police if it's found out that he's a front-man for "The Organization".Called to the scene of the break-in murder Tibbs senses that he's on to something big in that the night watchman George Morgan, Charles H. Gray, who was knocked out by the intruders is holding something back from the police. That something turned out to be the 4 million dollars in heroin that was taken from the plant! Tipped off to who did it, by the robbers themselves, Tibbs decides to find Bishop's killer on his own relying on the revolutionaries. The revolutionaries in them being suspected in both murder and kidnapping, of John J. Bishop, has Tibbs decide not to have his superiors on the SFPD know about what he's doing in working with them to find Bishop's killer! As well as his connection with "The Organization" who's suspected by Tibbs in having him killed!***SPOILERS*** Let. Tibbs against his better judgment gets himself involved with a bunch of mentally unstable,from being addicted to hard drugs, persons who end up almost getting him killed in his, very foolishly, trying to help them. This group of urban "freedom fighters", or vigilantes, fall apart as soon as "The Organization" puts the squeeze on them! Not that "The Organizaton" had that much on them, it didn't, but because the not too bright "freedom fighters", for the people, were so unable to keep a secret, the stolen 4 million in heroin, that it didn't take that long for "The Organization" to find out who they were and whack them! In fact they themselves, or some of them, tried to sell the drugs back to "The Organization" which tipped it off to just who were the people who stole it! As for Let. Tibbs he soon realized what a total schmuck he was but by then it was far too late for him to turn things around. In his putting both his job as well as life on the line, by him throwing in his lot with this bumbling gang of latter day Jesse Jameses, Tibbs threw it, his career as a policemen, in and was never seen or heard from again. In that there's was never another sequel to the Virgil Tibbs saga, this being the third and final installment, to come out of the Hollywood studios again!

I lived in San Francisco from 1964-1980 and got to see a LOT of movies filmed there. I watched them film the sections in Bart ( being built back then and one of the film's chase scenes goes on in the tunnel) and Muni and saw this and the 2 previous Virgil Tibbs films in San Francisco theatres.It is fun to look at this movie after 30+ years and see what is still there and what has changed over the years. The 70's seems like a million years ago. The Phillips gas station on Beach Street has had about 10 different brands over the years. The hofbrau on Turk Street ( Iate there every night, it was cheap) and Lew Lehr's steak house disappeared in the 80s.Hare Krishna's on Market Street across from the Sheraton Palace.I feel this movie is better than the previous Tibbs film, but my opinion is, of course, subjective. Even a bad detective movie has some merits. Of course, the premise of this film, that 6 people could bring down "the organization" ( mafia?) by stealing 4 million dollars worth of heroin is kind of silly. And the organization is having a hard time coming up with cash to buy back the drugs? Come on guys....As for the 70s music, well, Lalo Schiffrin and others composed a lot of movie music back then and times change. I liked the music myself.The 70s saw a lot of movies filmed in the city by the bay. Bullitt, The Laughing Policeman, The Dirty Harry Films, The Monk ( TV film, not the recent TV show, this was with George Maharis and Janet Leigh), The Towering Inferno,and the Streets of San Francisco TV show. I worked as an extra in films in those days and miss that era of cheap food, cheap rent, and cheap Giants tickets...A great site I just found shows probably every movie filmed in San Francisco.http://www.MisterSF.comclick on cinematic sf !George Senda Concord, Ca

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.Post-Script, March 2016: Over 16 years since I wrote this review (where does the time go?) I realise that I was too soft on what is quite a shaky film. Continuity and editing are not great, and the tone is frequently dirge-like. It's OKAY, but the concluding line that it's the best of Sidney's 70s movies was clearly written by a man who hadn't then seen The Wilby Conspiracy or Brother John. It's what's known as a "take a chance" point of view, and in this case it was wide of the mark.