Tweekums This classic '60s cop film is set in San Francisco where Lt Frank Bullitt has been asked to guard Johnny Ross. Ross was previously in 'The Organisation' in Chicago but is now planning to give evidence to a senate committee. Things go wrong very quickly; a hitman strikes leaving Ross and a policeman critically injured. Walter Chalmers, the ambitious local politician who saw the committee meeting as a way to launch himself of a national stage is furious that his key witness may be unavailable, makes it clear that Bullitt will take the fall if Ross doesn't testify. Bullitt sets about trying to find those behind the attack.'Bullitt' is best remembered for the iconic car chase through the streets of San Francisco... it wasn't the first film to feature a car chase but for a while afterwards it seemed that every cop film had to include a chase scene... and this one remains one of the best with Bullitt's Ford Mustang growling as he pursues the villains Dodge Charger. The film may be known for that one scene but it is just a small part of a fine film. It may not be as action packed as films made these days but the details feel real which keep it gripping. Steve McQueen is on top form as Frank Bullitt and Robert Vaughn is solid as Chalmers. When we learn the identity of the person behind the attack it proved to be quite a surprise... all I'll say about it is; I didn't see it coming until just before the big reveal... by which time we'd been shown plenty of clues. Overall I'd definitely recommend this to fans of the genre; it is still fresh fifty years on.

adrian-43767 Steve McQueen is one of my all-time favorite actors, I rate BULLITT his best movie and performance, so this is one of my all-time favorite flicks.I like the way BULLITT begins rather slowly, picks up with a terrific attack on a star witness in a hotel, slows down again, then turns up the heat with a pacy chase inside a hospital, then quietens again as BULLITT gathers info, then the famous car chase with McQueen behind the wheel of the mean Mustang machine, and the equally famous gas station explosion. And so it carries on, with fluctuations in mood and pace, but all tightly held by highly credible stunts and action, and a superb screenplay (apart from the completely spurious segments with the beautiful Jacqueline Bisset, the inevitable female figure to keep the female gender interested and contributing toward box office).Best of all, Steve McQueen, whose eyes alone carry enough menace to keep the viewer riveted. He speaks seldom and then not very much, but he suffers no fools, is a pro, completely interested in his work, and not above stealing a newspaper. There is clearly a shady side to Frank Bullitt, but it only adds to the character's credibility.Peter Yates' direction is first class. Pity that he may have been forced by the studio to include the completely unnecessary character played by Bisset. Apart from that, the acting, photography, stunts. soundtrack and script all interweave extremely credibly.An example is the confrontation between McQueen and Robert Vaughn, preceded by the misuse of an ambulance, an example of institutional racism in relation to a black doctor, and disrespect for the work of police.The climax at the airport is one of the movie's best sequences, in particular the search for the baddie inside the aircraft. Again, McQueen's eyes alone tell more than any amount of shots or words. He is completely mesmerizing and definitely towers above the film, raising it to heights that I doubt any other actor would have managed. A word of praise for entire supporting cast, all of the highest quality, with particular plaudits for the highly convincing villains.Finally, the ending - McQueen returns home, and settles back to routine, as happens with everybody. I have now watched BULLITT some 10 times, and I have always enjoyed it more than the previous times. Definitely worth 9 stars.

Wuchak RELEASED IN 1968 and directed by Peter Yates, "Bullitt" stars Steve McQueen as a resolute San Francisco detective who is determined to find the underworld kingpin who murdered the mobster-turned-witness under his protection. Robert Vaughn plays the slick, compromising politician while Simon Oakland appears as Bullitt's superior. Don Gordon is on hand as Bullitt's partner while Georg Stanford Brown plays a doctor. Robert Duvall has a small role.This was the obvious inspiration of the Dirty Harry franchise and other Eastwood cop flicks but, unlike those amped-up films, "Bullitt" is decidedly realistic, crackling with authenticity with its to-the-letter depictions of police, hospital and morgue procedures. The movie is decidedly low-key, respecting the intelligence of the viewer. Actually, it's SO realistic and mundane that it'll likely turn-off a lot of Dirty Harry fans. I suggest using the subtitles so you can keep track of who's who and what's going on.The movie draws you into its believable suspense with no less than three cat-and-mouse sequences. The first one is on foot at a hospital; the second is the iconic 7-minute car chase on the streets of San Francisco (which 1988's "The Dead Pool" paid homage to in a semi-spoof scene); and the third is another foot-chase at the airport, including the runways, which is the climax. Take note, by the way, of the green Volkswagon Beetle, which is repeatedly seen during the car chase."Bullitt" also works as a period piece of Big City, USA, 1967 (when the film was shot). It's interesting observing the designs and fashions. Jacqueline Bisset is, unfortunately, the only female and she's underused, although her character and Bullitt have a potent conversation at the beginning of the last act.THE FILM RUNS 114 minutes and was shot in San Francisco, California. THE SCRIPT was written by Alan Trustman & Harry Kleiner from the novel by Robert L. Fish.GRADE: B+

evanston_dad Congratulations, it's a boy! And so we have "Bullitt," the grumpy film from 1968 that gave birth to the anti-hero and ushered in an era of scowling detectives and the women who sit around dutifully waiting for them to come home.Actually, anti-heroes existed well before "Bullitt," but Steve McQueen did manage to turn the anti-hero into a household commodity, and everything from "The French Connection" (which was produced by the same man who produced "Bullitt" by the way) to the "Dirty Harry" movies owes a debt of gratitude to this movie.The funniest thing about "Bullitt" is that Steve McQueen actually isn't even a very good detective. He's constantly one-upped and outsmarted by the men he's supposed to be keeping an eye on. But he looks awfully good being a bad cop, except for those moments when he parades around in god-awful pajamas. He's a helluva driver though, as the film's most famous set piece, an endlessly parodied car chase through the streets of San Francisco, makes plain.The film also stars Jacqueline Bissett as a nominal love interest, though good luck distinguishing her from the wall paper for all the film gives her to do."Bullitt" won the 1968 Oscar for film editing (see "car chase" above), and nabbed another nomination for its sound.Grade: B