Review of Bullitt (1968) by Stuart K — 19 Nov 2012

Directed by Peter Yates, at the time fresh off Robbery (1967), and based upon the 1963 novel Mute Witness by Robert L. Fish. This is a tough, complex police drama with an ace car chase as it's centre piece, but there's more to it than that, and it's star just had an air of toughness and cool about him at all time.

The film is set during one weekend in San Francisco, where politician Walter Chalmers (Robert Vaughn) is attending a Senate subcommittee hearing regarding organised crime. They need one witness, Johnny Renick (Felice Orlandi), who stole $2 million in mob money from Chicago mobster Pete Ross (Vic Tayback) and Ross is placed under the protection of Lieutenant Frank Bullitt (Steve McQueen) and his team.

However, things go awry when Ross ends up wounded from two hitmen who break into the safe house. Chambers ends up pinning the blame on Bullitt, but Bullitt isn't going to give in that easily. When Ross dies of his wounds, Bullitt moves the body around to make it seem like he's still alive, so that the hitmen might come out of hiding, but it turns out the hitmen were working for someone else with a hidden agenda.

It's very well made, with a killer score by Lalo Schifrin with brilliant cinematography by William A. Fraker. McQueen works well with the action, and doesn't look out of breath either, and he did all his own car stunts too.

But, it's car chase inspired a whole line of films like it afterwards.