It is a performances centric movie

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

...for me to see a film starring Sidney Poitier that I didn't like. Of course I have my favorites, as well as others that I just "liked", but never a Poitier film that I didn't like. For me, Poitier was that rare film star that never made a mistake and always lifted us up higher. But tonight, finally, I've seen that one Poitier film that I dislike.I want you to think for a minute about a very different film -- one not starring Poitier and not a drama. The comedy/drama "The Bishop's Wife" starring Cary Grant, Loretta Young, and David Niven. In that film the characters played by Young and Niven don't know exactly what Cary Grant's character is. To them, he's an enigma. But to us the viewer, we know he's an angel. In fact, it's crucial to the movie that we viewers no that. If we don't understand that, then the film doesn't work.Similarly, this film would work so much better if we knew what Sidney Poitier's character is. The other characters in the film can be mystified by him, but we need to understand who and what he is. It really doesn't work for him to be an enigma for the viewer.Having said that, I don't mean that the film is not an interesting film to watch; it is. But it's also a frustrating film. I wonder if this is Will Geer's finest role. I know that I can't imagine anyone else being quite so perfect in the part. I'm frustrated by Sidney Poitier's role in that one of Poitier's strengths is his powerful diction, even when he is speaking quietly; here he has probably the least dialog of any starring role he ever had. I've never cared for Bradford Dillman, but he does his job here. Beverly Todd is good here as the woman who takes a liking to the mysterious (almost) stranger. Ramon Bieri is very good as the rather bad-guy sheriff. Paul Winfield's role is an odd one...for him, so it's interesting. Also interesting to see Zara Cully (Mother Jefferson in "The Jeffersons") in a very different role.Perhaps it's just the print they were showing on cable, but the film seemed rather grainy.So, do I recommend watching this film. No. Nor do I recommend not watching it. I feel very neutral -- and personally disappointed -- in it. And what it comes down to is that I want the story teller to tell me the story. And here, the story teller doesn't fully tell the tale.Don't read any further unless you've already seen the movie. (My opinion is that Poitier's character is a representative of God who is compiling a report card not of individual men and women, but of mankind).

In a Southern town, kindly old Doc Thomas is giving an elderly woman what appears at first to be a routine examination. But then he must tell her, in his caring way, that she is too far gone and while they can try, she needs to prepare for the worst.The woman's brother John cannot be found. And yet somehow he has always managed to show up when someone he cared about died. This time is no exception; while the family wonders how to contact him, John is already in his sister's hospital room.After the funeral, John stays around for a while, which is unusual for him. He entertains a group of school kids by telling about his adventures in Africa and showing them the culture of the people he met. The kids' teacher seems to be an old girlfriend, and the possibility exists of the romance rekindling.Doc Thomas should probably give up his practice, and the townspeople know this. He may not be senile yet, but he is showing a decline.Meanwhile, the union at an area factory appears ready to strike. The black workers aren't treated well, and some of the cops in town are racist. There may be trouble. Will John's presence help or hurt the situation?Sidney Poitier gives his usual masterful performance. And Will Geer does an outstanding job overall, even holding his own with the great Poitier in a powerful scene near the end.We never really learn what John does or why he seems to have supernatural abilities. All we know is that he is very intelligent and has lived many places and done many things.There are plenty of other good performances and good writing.It's worth seeing.

Odd Ernest Kinoy screenplay involving a mysteriously reticent black man of very few words returning to his Southern hometown for the funeral of his sister, dating a pretty schoolteacher but also getting involved in heated racial confrontations between the black residents and the redneck law. Peculiar, offbeat to say the least, yet hardly engrossing or emotional aside from the two big confrontations (one racially-charged, the other over a woman). Will Geer gives an irritatingly obtuse, owl-like performance as the doctor who originally delivered "Brother John", and who now senses something magical about him. In the lead, Sidney Poitier holds the screen with resplendence; he still has all the charisma and inner-fire of his popular 1960s roles, and allows us to see it (or perceive it) at perfectly-timed intervals. However, this cloudy mood piece--with timely undercurrents of oppression--isn't an exciting or gripping picture. Some have lauded the film for its dreamy ambiance, others will feel this approach ultimately works against the characters. A mixed-bag, though one with a beautiful score by Quincy Jones and expressive Gerald Perry Finnerman cinematography. ** from ****

I'm going to tell you a lot of key points about this movie, so if you haven't seen it, stop reading now.The story of Lot and the destruction of Sodom and Gommorrah is foretold in this movie, with Sidney Poitier as an angel moving among the people of a small Southern town, looking for the righteous. Several pieces right out of Genesis are reproduced in non-religious terms, but it becomes particularly obvious as Richard Ward speaks up to the police to protect Sidney Poitier -- although he does not, like Lot, offer to let the cops have their way with his daughters.Sidney Poitier gives one of his typical graceful performances as 'Brother John', exuding an air of compassionate, disinterested watchfulness in his role. Except, of course, with pretty young women.But I think the strain of playing these superior beings was getting to him. Shortly he would try his hand at raunchy comedies and then disappear behind the camera for more than a decade.