Review of Bullitt (1968) by Alex D — 01 Jul 2018
The languid pace; the realistic, uncluttered dialog; the mundane sets; the vistas of San Fransisco that are broad and bright, but not too broad and bright - almost everything about this movie is understated.
That's what makes it so refreshing, especially compared to today's over-stuffed thrillers. You feel like you're watching real people in a real place. Even the social-political commentary is understated, but it's clearly there, and it's important.
The two chase scenes (one in cars; one on foot, at night, at an airport) creep up on you gradually - the film slides into them, without energy-driven music to tell you that they've started. In fact, there's little music in the film in general, giving it an atmosphere of quiet, gentle suspense (to match the main hero's personality).
Oddly, when the film first came out, I'm sure it was considered fast and bombastic. That shows you how far we've come, and much many viewers now need to be bludgeoned in order to be interested by something.
They don't make 'em like this any more, and many people can't watch 'em any more either. I'm glad I'm old enough to enjoy and be carried away by a film like this.
This review of Bullitt (1968) was written by Alex D on 01 Jul 2018.
Bullitt has generally received very positive reviews.
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