Review of Organization, The

Introduction

The Organization is a drug cartel which has a large portion of its heroin cache stolen in the middle of the night by masked assailants. Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier) is the rebel cop assigned the case and before long the assailants get in touch with him and ask for his help in getting The Organization so they can try to rid the streets of the filth they peddle.

Tibbs gets into trouble of course and ends up operating the case as a suspended cop with his integrity on the line. Thus ensues an investigation into who the top people are and trying to stay alive long enough to do something about bringing the criminal fraternity to justice.

Video

Presented with a 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer, The Organization retains that 70s familiarity that we all know so well. Colours are a little muted and detail somewhat low, but it doesn`t get in the way. There are the usual specks of dirt and a bit of grain, but nothing too unexpected from a 70s film.

Audio

You have a choice of English, German, French, Italian and Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtracks. The quality, while not astounding by today`s multichannel standards, serves the film well enough. Dialogue is clear and crisp coming from the front and plays without distortion or any other sound defects. It`s functional.

Features

Static, easy to navigate menus with just one extra.

• Original Theatrical Trailer (2:45) - It`s surprising to see a trailer for this, and a long one at that. It contains all the best bits so there`s no need to see the film after this.

With English HoH, German HoH, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Portugeuse and Hungarian subtitles.

Conclusion

The film summary certainly paints a very thrilling picture of what could be...but which fails to deliver. I cannot see the logic in releasing this film as something to buy. It`s no more than a TV movie by today`s standards and certainly doesn`t stand up to repeated viewings. The performances are a little hammy, but then so was a lot of detective drama back then and the storyline is quite tame and there`s nothing really riveting to keep you hooked. One extra being the trailer and again you wonder what`s the point.

There are plenty of other titles to buy, rent or borrow, like Columbo (if that`s your bag) so I wouldn`t bother with The Organization unless you have an extensive Poitier or Tibbs collection that needs it.