Bosley Crowther of "The New York Times" called it "the most powerful film I have seen in a long time." "Life" said it was "an altogether excellent film that is quite possibly the best we have had from the U.S. this year". Roger Ebert gave "In the Heat of the Night" a positive review and placed it at number ten on his top ten list of 1967 films. Art Murphy of "Variety" felt that the excellent Poitier and outstanding Steiger performances overcame noteworthy flaws, including an uneven script.