Bullitt

Of course, for those us of struggling through our undergraduate school years at the time, the real star of the film was McQueen's throaty high-performance British racing green Ford Cobra Mustang. In what many consider the finest car chase sequence ever filmed, McQueen relentlessly and recklessly pursues the super-charged Dodge Charger in a drive to the death (ah, back when cars really rattled the pavement with their sheer horsepower and all that testosterone rumbled down the street!). Can we all say muscle car perfection? One recalls the terrific sounds of all those upshifts and downshifts as McQueen, who insisted on doing his own stunt-driving here, careened dangerously at high speeds through the streets of San Francisco in pursuit of the bad guys.

The film unrolls with a tight, interestingly written, and well-directed story, one that interweaves money, crime, politics, and suspense in a script that could as easily fall from today's headlines as from those populating the newspapers of thirty years ago when "Bullitt" was filmed. Detective Frank Bullitt (McQueen) is assigned for the weekend to protect a witness for a local hearing by one of California's senators (Robert Vaughn) the next Monday. When mob hit men fatefully interrupt such well-laid plans, the plot spins into overdrive, and a masterful cat and mouse game ensues. The supporting cast is terrific, and the hit men are well played with deadpan bad guy grimaces and suitable grunts and groans. These guys really seem both evil and professional. And yet the duel between McQueen and the hit men serves only to introduce us into the nuances and undercurrents in the plot, which Bullitt must somehow unravel to solve the crime and rescue himself from the aftermath. This is a terrific movie, and one you must see in DVD and a large screen to truly appreciate. Enjoy!


Great film with arguably even better special features   July 16, 2005
Richard E. Hourula (Berkeley, CA. United States)
17 out of 22 found this review helpful

"Bullitt" has long been one of my favorite all time films. This latest DVD edition of it is doubly good because of a fantastic second disc. On it are a short contemporary feature on actor Steve McQueen's work on the film, a no-hold-barred documentary on McQueen's life and career and a 100 minute worth-the-price-of-the-DVD-alone documentary on film editing.
This brand new documentary includes clips from many of the greatest movies form the past 100 years with comments from film historians and critics, editors and directors. It is the most comprehensive study of the art of film editing I've ever seen and will appeal to film students and the casual fan alike. It's likely to inspire viewers (as it did me) to want to see or see again a number of movies and to appreciate them as never before.
Oh yes, this edition of "Bullitt" wouldn't be complete without the film itself and it comes in a sharp, clean print.
As years go by the problems with the plot are as evident as ever but if anything seem less important. This is director Peter Yates' classic look at a single-minded cop, the title character as played perfectly by McQueen, and his efforts to solve a crime and bring the guilty to justice. In addition to the proverbial bad guys, McQueen is up against an ambitious DA played by Robert Vaughn who has his own agenda that is more reflective of personal goals than actual law enforcement.
"Bullitt" is highlighted by the quintessential car chase scene but has so much more to recommend it, including an excellent supporting cast and McQueen's own classic anti-hero performance.
If you so much as like this movie and love film, this DVD edition is for you.


See why Steve McQueen was the   September 1, 2004
James D. Leverton (San Marcos, CA USA)
15 out of 18 found this review helpful

What a tragedy it was the day in 1980 we lost Steve McQueen at age 50. To those who don't remember what a huge star Hollywood's "King of Cool" was, think what a shock it would be if in just five years Tom Cruise died of cancer. THAT is how big McQueen was, and kids today don't even know his name. For those who are curious, I recommend three films: 1972's "The Getaway," 1963's "The Great Escape," and the film that formed the cornerstone of his reputation, 1968's "Bullitt."

Actually, "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "Lethal Weapon" fans may be disappointed since "Bullitt" is not so much an action thriller as a police procedural and character study centering on Frank Bullitt (McQueen), a laconic, lone-wolf police detective. Bullitt and his partners are chosen by their superiors to protect a mob witness who is due to testify in a high-profile criminal trial that an ambitious politician named Chalmers (Robert Vaughn) has staked his reputation and career on. Unfortunately, Bullitt's team is set up and the witness and partners are shot and left for dead. Bullitt is then left to figure out what happened, all while being stalked by a steely gray-haired [...] and his accomplice.

The centerpiece of "Bullitt"'s reputation, along with McQueen's legendary performance, is a hair-raising, high-octane car chase between Bullitt and the assassins through the streets of San Francisco that lasts nearly 20 minutes of screen time. So famous and so expertly was this sequence staged that the film won an Oscar for film editing even though it received only one other minor nomination (for Best Sound), which is almost unheard of. There is also an exciting chase and shootout across the runways of San Francisco International Airport that ends the film, but other than that action enthusiasts may be disappointed. However, those who like stories that actually make sense, have characters that are believable everymen and not just superhuman killing machines and feature action sequences that serve the plot and are not just tacked on to top everything that has come before will love this film.

The performances are uniformly expert, with standouts including Norman Fell and Simon Oakland as Bullitt's no-nonsense superiors, Georg Stanford Brown as a doctor, and John Aprea as the nearly mute, hair-raising [...]. Vaughn is a worthwhile adversary as a politician who (surprise!) is ambitious to the point he can't be trusted, and Jacqueline Bisset has a few touching scenes as Bullitt's sensitive girlfriend who has a hard time reconciling the quiet man she loves with the policeman who is so jaded he can look at a young female murder victim and not be moved in the least. And watch for Robert Duvall as a cab driver and Joanna Cassidy in a blink-and-you'll miss her bit.

But this is McQueen's film the entire way and he is absolutely legendary in a role that, along with Gene Hackman's Popeye Doyle in "The French Connection" and Clint Eastwood's "Dirty Harry" Callahan, created the modern screen image of the iconic, tough police officer. My guess is he has maybe fifty lines in the entire movie, but when he does talk, he wastes no words and every steely stare speaks volumes. And did I mention his chief support is the coolest automobile in screen history, a green 1968 Ford Mustang, which is almost as memorable as the character of Bullitt himself?

In addition, McQueen is aided immeasurable by Peter Yates' expert direction and the rock-solid script, which substitute thrills with unyielding realism. The photography and music are stellar, and the editing, well, as I said before, is Oscar-winning.

In all, "Bullitt" is one legendary film that has aged well, still looks great after 36 years and remains thrilling to this day. Serious film and action fans will not be bored, although thrill-seekers might. As for the DVD, it's a good, though not great package that is presented in its original 1:85:1 aspect ratio. In all, its a great introduction to a true movie star who deserves to be rediscovered by future generations of film fans. **** (out of *****)



After nearly forty years, still powerfully effective   March 11, 2005
Robert Moore (Chicago, IL USA)
15 out of 18 found this review helpful

BULLITT is today an easy film to underrate, partly because so many films in the seventies embraced a similar narrative and visual style. This lends the film a sense of familiarity that it didn't have for most viewers in 1968. Instead of a direct, involved form of narrative, the film employs an indirect, detached one. Unlike most film where the action takes place at firsthand, much of the action in this one takes place at secondhand, such as when Bullitt and a hotel employee knock on the door of a room, to cut away to a long shot of his girlfriend sitting in her car, her attention soon called to a police siren and running police officers, letting her and us know that something is amiss. Or the action will often be squeezed to the side, with the screen dominated by something other than the actors, such as the chase near the end on the airport runways, where an airliner will dominate the frame, while one of the actors will be on the periphery. The whole technique is so cool and detached that one expects the Dave Brubeck Quartet to break out at any point. The film is also enhanced visually by a complete lack of dissolves through out. Instead, each shot cuts directly to another, giving the film an almost undefinable crispness. The whole film is, in fact, a technical delight, with everyone trying to remake as many rules as possible.

The film is most famous, of course, for what is quite probably the greatest car chase in movie history. The only other contender for the slot is not quite a car chase, but the car chasing the subway in THE FRENCH CONNECTION, a film that was profoundly influenced by BULLITT in a host of ways. There have been dozens of chase scenes since then that are more spectacular in their stunts and effects, so what makes this one remain so compelling? First, there is the balance to the whole thing. It builds beautifully, first with two hit men in their Dodge Charger trailing Bullitt in his Mustang, then their losing him, only to rediscover him in their rearview mirror. Although they are at this point at normal speeds, the effect if riveting, and when the driver of the charger takes a moment to put on his seatbelt, you know you are in for something special. 1968 was before the 1973 oil embargo, so gas efficiency was of secondary concern. Instead, a string of cars were made with power their main concern, and although these were modified automobiles, they nonetheless seem almost alien with their massive engines. But what really makes this car scene extraordinary is the devotion to realism. Most subsequent car chases feature cars vaulting other vehicles, making impossible leaps over bridges, performing astonishing stunts on two wheels or doing an entire rotation, and in every instance landing back on all four wheels with minimal damage. In this scene, they literally wreck the cars. Yeah, they vault over a hill, but when they land, you can feel the shock to the chassis. Also, the speeds are simply incredible. A lot of scenes feature slower cars that they then enhance in the editing room to make them seem faster. There are reports that the two cars in this one often exceeded 110 mph. I don't doubt it for an instance. In defense of other car chases, one reason they have to resort to pyrotechnics and gimmicks and absurd stunts is that in a sense BULLITT took what it was possible to do with two cars chasing each other as far as it could go. Whenever I rewatch this chase scene, I can't help but thinking that I will never see its like again.

This isn't a film that is going to appeal to everyone. Many are going to feel uncomfortable with its detached style, with its refusal to bring all the salient parts of the action to the foreground. But I find its attempt to do something new and original enormously exhilirating.

This is rightfully regarded as one Steven McQueen's best films, if not his best. It is certainly one of the more laconic performances one will see in the genre. Although Clint Eastwood would later travel much of the same ground (literally, since the films were also set in San Franciso in the Dirty Harry movies, both Frank Bullitt and Harry Callahan were loosely based on the same real life detective), nothing like his grimaces or taglines can be found in McQueen's performance.

My one complaint with the film is what I consider to be a rather large hole in the plot. When Bullitt and his partner go to the airport to pull Ross off his flight, only the two of them go. It has always been police procedure to undertake such operations in force. It is simply inconceivable that only two detectives would attempt such an action. They would go in with substantial backup. For me it is one of the only misfires in an otherwise superb film.