Bullitt

Rating:
Summary: Classic 1960s tough police drama and Mustang advertisement
Review: This tough police drama about protecting a witness in San Francisco was a star vehicle for Steve McQueen and contains one of the best car chases on film, a fine advertisement for the (real, i.e. 1960s) Ford Mustang (California yellow-on-black license JJZ 109). The chase in _The French Connection_ (1971) was a conscious derivative of it employing some of the same talent. (Written 1999)

Rating:
Summary: Best McQueen
Review: Everybody writes about the car chase but what I like best about this movie is McQueen's performance. The minimalist dialogue that he first demonstrated in the TV show "Wanted Dead or Alive" is perfected here. McQueen gives no speeches, my guess is that his dialogue wouldn't fill ten pages of script. But watch him in the hospital when the Robert Vaughn character goes at him verbally. McQueen's response is about 11 words, making this scene one of the coolest in film and shows the real talent and instinct of McQueen as an actor. (He insisted the scene be shot with his own response, considerably shortened from the original script.)
By the way, there's also another terrific 'chase' scene - on foot in the hospital. Watch how long it takes for McQueen to pull his gun. Nobody on the big screen has ever been cooler.

Rating:
Summary: One of the first and still one of the best
Review: Set in San Francisco of the late '60s, Bullitt shows what Hollywood was once capable of. In a genre that is now formula, special effects and graphic violence, this film uses a good script, great acting and fine directing to accomplish a story that still manages to entertain. One of the first of a long line of cops versus politicians and crime movies it's still one of the best.

McQueen struggles with both the criminals and the bureaucracy in his search for the killers of one of his fellow cops. The plot itself is fairly simple with the secret to the films quality being the atmosphere, honest situations such as the surgery scene and great action sprinkled throughout. Special mention should be made of the realism of many of the scenes and the use of San Francisco as location for the film.

Of course Bullitt contains one of the great car chase sequences in modern film. Without the use of special effects or expensive tricks, the scene is complicated and simple. Steve McQueen did much of the driving himself, while the hills of San Francisco contribute to the action.
The excellent cast includes Steve McQueen, Jacqueline Bisset and Robert Vaughn. This is probably Peter Yates, who directed The Dresser and Eyewitness, best work. Also look for a brief appearance of Robert Duvall as a taxi driver. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: McQueen is the coolest in this pioneering movie.
Review: This movie is the pattern for Dirty Harry and every car chase film that followed-both good and bad. The well-known car chase scene might have lost just a bit of luster over the years but remember, it was a first of its' kind in 1968. I'm old enough to remember this movie at the theater on a big screen (before the cineplex small screen devolution) and man, when the cars were jumping the hills in SF- you were there! Just ask my stomach. Watching on a small screen at home I'd recommend turning out the lights during the chase and enjoying the 7 minute rollercoaster ride. Name another movie that had a car named after it. In 2001 Ford put out a limited edition Mustang GT Bullitt, dark green fastback in homage to Steve and the "chase". I know that many movies that followed had impressive and more complex car chases but Bullit was first-name an earlier one. After Bullitt there was "The French Connection", "The Seven-Ups", "Dirty Mary,Crazy Larry", "Smokey and the Bandit", even "The Blues Brothers" and many, many more. So you can say that Bullitt created a subgenre of movies that lasted for more than a decade. Even TV got into the action (Dukes of Hazzard). Like I said -both good and bad. Now the movie storyline is great too. I've read many reviews here that say the movie moves too slow with little action. I disagree. Does "The Godfather" move too slow with little action too? The movie is done in a realistic, gritty style that has moments of explosive violence punctuating intelligent dialogue, acting and storyline-especially for 1968. Very much in the French style of film-making, as were French Connection, Dirty Harry, Laughing Policeman,The Exorcist, Atlantic City, et al. When the witness is blown away by a shot gun blast to the midsection he flys off his feet and slams into the wall-very realistic even by todays' jaded eye. No computer generated scenes here. Just good ole' special effects. Steve McQueen would be 72 if he lived but like so many other cultural icons that wasn't meant to be. Live fast, die young (well, middle-aged) and leave us with some wonderful movies.The Great Escape, Cincinnatti Kid, The Getaway, Papillon, The Thomas Crown Affair, On Any Sunday, Baby The Rain Must Fall, Junior Bonner, The Magnificent Seven, Le Mans, The Sand Pebbles, Nevada Smith, and more. Where are the Steve McQueen's of today? None of today's "stars" could be believable(laughable) in his roles. McQueen could kick any of their ... figuratively and literally. We miss you Steve!

Rating:
Summary: a masterpiece of authenticity
Review: this movie is great because of the realism applied to
police, hospital, and morgue procedures, not theatrical thats
what makes it good, not to mention the awesome chase scene one of the first of its of kind, and one that all scenes are measured against, not a whole lot of action,not much violence,
nudity, or profanity makes this a great movie for younger audiences, the plot is great, and mcqueen is awesome. this is a
must for any steve mcqueen fan or anyone that appreciates a realistic approach to movie making and anyone who can appreciate a awesome chase scene with two of the best muscle cars around

Rating:
Summary: Darn good McQueen vehicle...forget the Mustang
Review: When people think of this movie, the car chases are pretty much the only thing they think of, but Steve McQueen is excellent as a weary detective, and of course, the young Jacqueline Bisset is nice to look at. Unfortunately, the hugely overrated car chase in Bullitt overpowers the rest of the movie. Regarding the car chase, 1) The Mustang fastback Steve McQueen is shown driving is a GTA (A for automatic), but he's shifting like crazy all through the movie and 2) A large part of the longest chase is simply the same intersection shot from different angles: McQueen goes airborne over a hill with the Bad Guys' black Charger in hot pursuit, and SF Bay is seen in the background, as a light blue VW crawls across the intersection McQueen is approaching. You may notice this same light blue Beetle crawling in front of McQueen at least 5 times in the next 5 minutes. Either drivers of light blue Beetles had a way of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, or the film's editor needed to fill up a lot of time...I think it's the latter. Still, Bullitt is a good movie, and when I see it, it makes me still miss Steve McQueen.

Rating:
Summary: not what I hoped for
Review: This movie was probably a good one in it's time, but it was a very slow movie. The only good thing was the old cars. Not very many speaking parts. From all of the reviews I read I thought it was going to be a lot better, but like I said it probably was good in it's time. If you like old cars (mustangs) you should get it, or maybe rent it first.

Rating:
Summary: TRUE MOVIE BUFFS WILL HAVE THIS IN THEIR COLLECTION
Review: This is a classic movie with Steve McQueen which many people will find boring, but if you're a fan of any Clint Eastwood style film you'll enjoy this. It's kind of a slow pace, but the film is highly detailed to represent things as they are in the real world. It also features one of the greatest, and probably the first great car chase scenes in movie history through the streets and hills of San Francisco. Steve McQueen actually does a lot of his own stunt driving in the movie. Excellent mastered picture quality.

Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: Great, tersely done thriller. Where are the Steve Mcqeen's today? We have wimps like Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt and George Clooney. Pop this in your VCR or DVD player to see what a REAL leading man is!

Rating:
Summary: King of Cool vs. the Powers that Be
Review: Robert Vaughn is positively reptillian as an up and coming politician who needs a star witness protected so he can make a big public splash with a headline grabbing trial. Lt. Frank Bullitt and his cohorts get the thankless task of guarding the mob turncoat. McQueen is perfect as the tough, common sense loner, Lt. Bullitt, who just wants to do his job. His turtleneck attire and Shelby Fastback Mustang made this different from the rest of the flatfoot cop caper films with police in cheap sport jackets and 4 door cruisers. McQueen has to knock heads with the system, unravel a mystery and keep from getting killed in this intelligent actioner. A nice reunion of McQueen and his 'Sand Pebbles' co-star Simon Oakland who plays a no-nonsense police Captain in this one. Intriguing San Francisco backdrop and a great ending.