As a racial issues movie, it's a little ham-fisted, but not as much as most films of its era. As a police procedural, it involves an effective bit of misdirection but nothing too special. However, it functions very well as a blend between two, neither part overwhelming the other. It's nicely balanced. Otherwise, the film neither excels or fails in any area... the direction, the performances, the pacing, the music are all fine. A pretty good movie, just not much to say about it.