Bullitt (1968)

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Directed by Peter Yates.

Starring Jacqueline Bisset, Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, Robert Duvall, Don Gordon.

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Robert L. Pike's crime novel Mute Witness makes the transition to the big screen in this film from director Peter Yates. In one of his most famous roles, Steve McQueen stars as tough-guy police detective Frank Bullitt. The story begins with Bullitt assigned to a seemingly routine detail, protecting mafia informant Johnny Ross (Pat Renella), who is scheduled to testify against his Mob cronies before a Senate subcommittee in San Francisco. But when a pair of hitmen ambush their secret location, fatally wounding Ross, things don't add up for Bullitt, so he decides to investigate the case on his own. Unfortunately for him, ambitious senator Walter Chalmers (Robert Vaughn), the head of the aforementioned subcommittee, wants to shut his investigation down, hindering Bullitt's plan to not only bring the killers to justice but discover who leaked the location of the hideout. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

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Reviews and discussions

The Tao of Steve
by Jezcab in Jezcab Blog

loved it.

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"Yep, Steve McQueen is amazing! This is a great film to watch, thrilling, intriguing and well thought out dialogue. I especially like SF filmed movies so I can ponder the continuity of car chases and other sequential plots. There hasn't been a better car chase scene since Bullitt, except for maybe Grindhouse.One of the films I own and enjoy watching over & over again. " [More]

first timer for bullitt
by peeter in peeter Blog

liked it.

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"i like this movie. it starts off with a sweet credits beginning that was probably ahead of its time. and that's what this movie is made up of. scenes way ahead of their time. the pacing is almost real time in every scene, namely real-life pauses and dialogue. the car chase scene was worth it, even if it doesn't compare enough to today's standards. it still is very original and keeps with the originality of this movie. the on-foot chase at the end is really dragged out however, almost like in Heat, but i like the Heat foot race better. Steve McQueen IS COOL. i won't take that away from him any day. i just wish i would've started a Steve McQueen following sooner. He's just great to watch, even if you don't like the scene. i own this movie, but i don't know if i will keep it, because it is long and dragged out at times, but it is cool. so i might keep it just to know i have that in my bag o tricks. " [More]

Review by All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide

liked it.

1968's surprisingly influential Bullitt is a precursor to the hyper-explosive action movies that ruled the box-office in the 1980s and 1990s. More immediately, it made car chases de rigueur for nearly every police film of the 1970s. Bullitt's chase scene, a roaring ten minutes up and down seemingly every hill in San Francisco, took about three weeks to shoot; along with the two in The French Connection and the more protracted one in The Road Warrior, the scene is still regarded as one of the best pursuits ever filmed. Apart from this rather dubious legacy, Bullitt is also significant for recharging the crime-thriller genre with its snappy, faux-naturalistic look. Finely stylized by director Peter Yates and editor Frank Keller (who won an Oscar for his work), the film wears its gritty, urban feel on its sleeve; such an attitude would become a major hallmark of American films in the 1970s. Bullitt also elevated Steve McQueen from the status of mere star to that of worldwide superstar. The actor delivers perhaps the most consequential performance of his career as the fashionably icy title character. ~ Brendon Hanley, All Movie Guide

Tags: carchase , over-rated , Cool , Cops , CarChase-Love
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