Review of Bullitt (1968) by Michael T — 14 Aug 2008

Bullitt certainly gets props for altering the cop-genre, but McQueen is not quite fit to tie the sandals of Eastwood in Dirty Harry, which this movie presages. A man lost in his constabulary mission, the world of McQueen's character is very narrowly focused, giving the movie both an intense focus and a lack of character depth as everything outside the scope fades into one's peripheral vision.

The ending also leaves the viewer hanging: where is the aftermath, the resolution, of the plot's climax? This is an enjoyable hallmark of cinema, but has been rightly eclipsed by other films that have entered the scene and improved greatly on the formula.