Bullitt (1968) User Reviews (441)

Modern directors should take note of the style.

[jd372 · 8/10 · 21 February 2005]

What a change of pace this movie is as compared with its genre today. I'm no old fogey but would that modern directors become smart enough take several pages from its book.

The Bullit character is a precursor of Dirty Harry but a bit more cerebral. Stylistically, the director sets the stage beautifully for McQueen's Bullit. The movie has a European feel (director Peter Yates is a Brit) and achieves its dark mood through quiet understatement. The musical score for instance. Today, music is overly used, overly loud and manipulative. (i.e. in case you are not moved by this scene, here are a division of amplified violins to remind you to weep). In 'Bullit' the music is sparingly used and doesn't intrude at all. It complements the directorial style without setting the agenda.

The feeling of reserved naturalism is achieved through editing and dialogue. There really aren't very many lines in the movie and when characters do speak they are very succinct. Notice the last 15-20 minutes of the movie, most of which takes place at the airport. Hardly a line in it. There is none of the chattiness so prevalent today (especially post "Pulp Fiction") which is so tedious (unless the script is tip-top, which is rare).

Editing is, perhaps, its greatest strong point. The many long edits deserve equal credit with the dialogue in setting the low-key mood. The cinema verite dialogue of the airport scenes (and, say, the scene where McQueen and Don Gordon search the trunk) combined with the long cuts add greatly to understated feel while adding realism.

And the performances are top notch. The spare script helps McQueen shine since the taciturn moodiness fits his persona to a tee. There are very fine performances from all of the supporting cast, from Don Gordon to Bisset to Fell to Duvall to Oakland. This is a great movie for watching faces. Note the expressions of the hit men during the chase scene (just another example of this movie letting the little touches speak volumes).

The chase scene certainly deserves its billing as one of the best in movie history. Recently, 'The Transporter' was lauded for its opening chase sequence. The one in 'Bullit' is a marvel compared. In 'The Transporter' sequence I'm not sure there is a cut that lasts more than three seconds. In 'Bullit' it is again the editing which sets it apart here. The long edits give you the feel of acceleration and deceleration, of tire smoke and gears, of wind and the roller coaster San Francisco streets. You are given the time to place yourself in the frame. In short, 'Bullit' uses real craftsmanship. Films like 'The Transporter' use hundreds of quick edits to mimic the danger and immediacy of 'Bullit' but it comes across as hot air, confusion instead of clarity. The two scenes are perfect set pieces of easy (and hollow) Mtv-style flash versus real directorial substance.

Rings with authenticity

[perfectbond · 7/10 · 26 March 2005]

Despite having aged somewhat, Bullitt remains a tough, gritty, and altogether realistic portrait of police life in late sixties San Francisco. The film is of course most renowned for the spectacular (even by today's standards) car chase in which star Steve McQueen famously did his own stunt driving (I wonder what the insurance policy was like?!) Although McQueen didn't really have to stretch beyond his already established screen persona, he is perfect in the role. He is Bullitt like Connery is Bond. Maybe the role was tailored specifically for him. He also has Jacqueline Bisset (Cathy), who can more than hold her own with any Bond girl, to come home to! She adds a welcome domestic quality and the audience feels relieved that despite the unforgiving profession Bullitt works in, at least he has a good woman at his side. The location photography in beautiful San Francisco, the to-the-letter accurate procedural dialogue, the political infighting with the smarmy D.A. Chalmers (Robert Vaughn) and the brutally violent action scenes all complement the fine performances to create an entirely engrossing authentic crime drama. Watch for the great Robert Duvall in a minor role as the cabbie.

I Left My Hubcaps In San Francisco

[slokes · 8/10 · 13 August 2005]

The first lone-wolf cop story plays by the rules of the genre it spawned, featuring a charismatic, outsider type who carries a badge and an attitude directed just as much against the egos and hubris of his superiors as against the criminal element.

Frank Bullitt (Steve McQueen) is a detective lieutenant on the San Francisco police force who gets handed a "babysitting job" looking after a would-be Mob informant by ambitious politico Chalmers (Robert Vaughn). Things go wrong with an attempted hit that leaves the informant and his guard in intensive care and Bullitt on the wrong side of Chalmers, not to mention a pair of killer hoods who tool around in a Dodge Charger and have no respect either for stop signs or Mustangs.

"Bullitt" the movie is best-known for an automotive duel between the assassin duo and Bullitt, still championed by some as the greatest car chase in movie history. I think it's been lapped myself, though I admire the long sections of real-time churn-and-burn since it flies in the face of MTV-style fast cutting we know today. The hoods Bullitt chase look like insurance salesmen, but of course they were really stunt men, and with McQueen doing a good deal of his own stunt driving as well, there's a validity to the sequence that makes up for some slackness in the composition.

"Bullitt" is a better film for the things that occur around the car chase, not so much with the central mystery of Johnny Ross as with the scenes of Bullitt in his element, like making coffee, talking with his superiors, eating a sandwich. McQueen's acting was showcased better in films like "The Sand Pebbles," "The Cincinnati Kid," and even his final film "The Hunter," but his star power was never more in evidence than it was here, especially in the scenes he shares with Vaughn, who plays the role of a preppy hardass to perfection and gives both McQueen and the viewer a foil more evil than the real crooks in this picture.

Seeing Bullitt handle Chalmers' baiting is a real lesson in how less is more. There's a scene where a fingerprint check gives Bullitt the opportunity to let Chalmers have it, but instead of rounding on the jerk, he simply tells Chalmers the score as he makes for the door in one of the great underplayed lines ever filmed.

Verisimilitude is everything in "Bullitt," as director Peter Yates and screenwriters Alan Trustman and Harry Kleiner present it. Long scenes are shot in operating rooms, morgues, and hotel-room crime scenes as a way of presenting what we are seeing as real in a way no other film did then and few have done since. Every shot, as Yates explains on his DVD commentary, was shot on a real location, and you feel like he got it all down exactly right, getting the right mix of style and drab reality. A shot cop moans while blood pulses through his wound, while a strangled woman is seen in such gory detail we understand another character's need to throw up over it. Throughout there's Bullitt as only McQueen could play him, saying the right line the right way, jumping in an ambulance to fix a problem, telling his gorgeous girlfriend (Jacqueline Bisset) "It's not for you, baby" in a way that comes off utterly cool rather than gratingly sexist.

I couldn't figure out what was going on with the crooks – "the Organization" as they are dubbed since calling them the Mafia was seen as demeaning to a particular ethnic group not yet known for creating films like "The Godfather" or "GoodFellas" – not until I watched "Bullitt" a second time, at which point I realized that wasn't so important. "Bullitt" has an annoying subtext of police work as dehumanizing, something Bullitt understands implicitly makes him a tool for the wrong sort of people. That was the year that was 1968, Chicago and all that, but the au currant anti-establishment notes do rankle.

But McQueen was a cinematic great, one who doesn't get as much attention today but proves here why his image is so enduring. Yates credits the clothes McQueen wears, but Yates himself, along with his writers, Vaughn, Bissett, and a terrific supporting cast led by Simon Oakland as Bullitt's tough-but-fair captain, create one of the great platforms for a movie tough guy ever built, a platform McQueen fills very, very well.

Maximum Cool

[gvb0907 · 1 November 2001]

Steve McQueen's career peaked in 1968 with "Bullitt" and "The Thomas Crown Affair," both ideal vehicles for his cool persona. Although superior to its recent remake, "Crown" has not aged gracefully, while "Bullitt" has held up fairly well.

Cool though he may be, Frank Bullitt is a totally committed detective, perhaps even more so than Gene Hackman's Popeye Doyle or Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry Callahan. Bullitt is a complete professional who never takes his eye off the objective, no matter how much interference he encounters from his superiors or from Robert Vaughan's scheming politician, Walter Chalmers. And Bullitt, unlike Doyle or Callahan, operates without the histrionics. No one-liners, no yelling and screaming tantrums from this officer. You may not like him very much, but you have to respect his dedication to duty and you'll quickly share his absolute contempt for Chalmers.

"Bullitt" is best remembered for its spectacular car chase in which McQueen reportedly did most of his own driving. But this is not primarily an action film. Aside from the chase and the final shootout at SFO, there's not a lot of violence. Most of the attention is on Bullitt's maneuvering to unravel the mystery and to keep Chalmers off his back.

Recommended if you like McQueen or policiers in general. The pace may be a little slow for people under 30 who are used to a more slam-bang, less cerebral approach to this sort of thing, but "Bullitt" is still worth your time. Just don't expect "Lethal Weapon."

Not just a movie...

[djdaedalus · 10/10 · 27 June 2006]

...it's a historical document. Society ladies showing off their trophy furs. Defunct airlines (Pan Am) and collapsed freeways (the Embarcadero). Cops without cell phones, or two way radios. Billboards showing how little has changed ("Need Money for Taxes ?", "Mothers Day Brunch May 11, make your reservations now") and how much ("ENCO" gasoline). Backstreet USA in all its slovenly glory. Moribund corner stores with fading signs. And of course an airport where you walk in and out, neat as you please, past the luggage left standing unattended at the curb.

Before Bullitt only the Europeans produced cinema that actually photographed society instead of re-creating it in a studio. With a few exceptions (The Conversation, The French Connection) Hollywood didn't exactly pick up the ball and run with it. Hollywood makes money, not historical documents. No matter. Watch this movie for its action and its background - and ask yourself if your time is better than Bullitt's.

Bullitt-speed

[paul2001sw-1 · 8/10 · 18 December 2004]

The late 1960s saw two classic, hard-boiled thrillers set in San Fransico; John Boorman's stylised 'Point Blank', and Peter Yates' 'Bullitt'. Calling your hero Bullitt might seem an unsubtle way to emphasise his macho qualities, but in fact Steve MacQueen plays him as a quiet man, not some wise-talking maverick: he does what he has to do, but takes no pleasure in his actions; and survives the roughness of his work not by becoming a monster, but simply by becoming a little less human. It's a believable portrait, and the film as a whole has a procedural feel: there are action scenes, but these are kept in their place in the overall design.

Today, the film is most famous for its celebrated car chase, which makes excellent use, as indeed does the movie as a whole, of the bay area locations, but is not actually shot that excitingly: the conclusion at the airport is more original, though it roots the film in the time when it was permissible to take a loaded gun onto a plane. But overall this is still a classy film, dry, exciting and bleak, and among the very best films of its day. William Friedkin's brilliant 'The French Connection', made a short while afterwards, would appear to owe it a debt.

Great 60's film noir

[Tashtago · 7/10 · 8 November 2005]

A great example of the sordid, violent, 60's detective film, and a prime influence on every t.v. detective series from the 1970's onward. Grittily realistic with San Francisco making an excellent back drop for one of Steve McQueen's best roles. As detective Frank Bullit, assigned to guard a chief witness in a senate investigation, McQueen is a perfect combination of stoicism and jaded cool. Robert Vaughn makes an excellent corrupt politician attempting to gain publicity with a mob investigation, and Jacquline Bisset is beautiful as McQueen's girlfriend and voice of normalcy. The stylish medium shot direction of Peter Yates ( his best film) makes for a fast past action /suspense/ police thriller. And of course there's the justifiably famous car chase.

Unique!

[mini_beast_ainger · 10/10 · 5 May 2004]

Quite simply this film resembles what most films of the sixties did. Simple, but effective! There are no special effects, no stunt actors, no pyrotechnics. Its simple technology and simple acting and it works brilliantly! McQueen's performance is like any other McQueen performance; Mono-tone but exciting. His failure to over-act his scenes works well and the coolness during the car chase scene is legendary! Bullit may not immediatly grab peoples attention as a thriller but this is because too many people are comparing it with modern day thrillers. Bullit is a quiet thriller. It does not need expensive special effects, explosions and rampant sex scenes to make you pay attention to the plot of the film. McQueens presence draws your attention, and his style of acting makes you pay attention and the Mustang makes it a must see for any throttle head! Anybody who can claim this film to be boring and lackluster should not be allowed to review films. A sixties icon!

Where were the writers and logic?

[sudiniup · 7/10 · 30 November 2020]

Yes, a great car chase scene, but the sloppy, illogical police work in keeping a witness safe in the least secure location made no sense. I blame the writers in the late 1960's. Too many movies were made this way, useless, never ending closeups of faces reacting to scenes, other completely useless filler scenes that had nothing to do with the story. Too many movies were made this way. Lazy, sloppy writing, directors that only seemed interested in making a movie that ran a certain time limit, editors that must have been trying to please actors egos. Who cared if the audience left the theater wondering what the hell they just watched,

The one that started it all...

[BroadswordCallinDannyBoy · 10/10 · 10 February 2004]

...from from rogue cops who make their own rules, to... rogue cops who seriously know how to put the pedal to the medal. Only Bogie and John Wayne were cinematic tough guys before Frank Bullitt came along, and it was Bullitt that inspired Dirty Harry and every rogue cop movie as a result. If you were looking for the first modern cop thriller, well here it is. Accept no substitutes. In today's over-blown and effects laden (for better of for worse) era, people often forget that all those films began with movies like this one.

The story has Lieutenant Frank Bullitt receiving an assignment to protect a star witness in a high profile case that could bring down a powerful crime organization. Bullitt and his men take turns guarding the witness, but before long there is a hit and the witness is mortally wounded, and Bullitt takes the case into his own hands. The resulting mystery is both Grade-A Hollywood entertainment (rare these days) and a believable character portrait of a man engulfed by his work in a cruel world.

Of course one cannot talk about his movie without mentioning the legendary car chase, which is one of the best out there, but is not the main part of the movie as many make it out to be. If you see this movie just for some pedal to the medal action you will be let down. The focus of the movie is on Bullitt and the car chase, while very exciting and fun to watch, is one of the many scenes that show Bullitt's near obsession to work. Unlike today's crap action movies there is no 37 car pile up, no cars flipping over simply because the bad guys are driving them.

Also the finale of the film, a foot chase at an airport, has our hero firing two shots from his pistol and that is the only time he uses it in the movie. This film demonstrates that action is best when the result of a character's emotions and not a director's ambition to blow stuff up. Bullitt wants to get the bottom of the case, he wants to find out who's been following him around town and that is the result of the action scenes. In the end the film is a true classic and Frank Bullitt is a character to remember. 10/10

Rated PG: violence (though if it were released today, it probably would get a PG-13)

What's the fuss?

[preppy-3 · 6/10 · 24 January 2004]

Lt. Frank Bullitt (Steve McQueen) goes after the "Organization" that killed a witness under his protection. A slimy politician, Chalmers (Robert Vaughn) is breathing down his neck and making things very difficult for him. Will he have him thrown off the force before he finds the killers?

I've been hearing for years that this is a great movie. Seeing it, I can't see why people think that. Plotwise this is nothing new and the movie is slow and needlessly convoluted. By the end I was totally bored. Scenes come out of nowhere--at one point there's a little fight that Bullitt has with his girlfriend (a stunningly beautiful Jacqueline Bissett) where she complains to him about his acceptance of violence...but there's absolutely no lead up to this scene and the resolution is handled badly. It seems to come from different movie!

There are some good things here--it's well-directed by Peter Yates who makes beautiful use of San Francisco locations; the now-famous car chase is still exciting and well-directed and edited; McQueen isn't as bad as he usually is (his face actually changes expression once or twice); Bissett is badly used--but at least she's there; Simon Oakland gives a good performance as a police chief and Vaughn is excellent. It's also fun to see Robert Duvall (with hair as a cab driver), Norman Fell (another police chief) and Georg Stanford Brown (as a doctor) in small roles.

I'm giving this a 6 and that's mostly for Vaughn, direction and the car chase. Seriously...without the chase this movie would have been forgotten.

Great film

[DAW-8 · 9/10 · 1 May 2001]

There were so many great things about this film. You've got to love late 1960s cinematography. Contrary to being even a "typical" cop film of its day, many of the scenes here were shot in such a way as to convey a message to the viewer which goes beyond the plotline itself. The is an "urban" film--numerous scenes reflect the city and the mood of 1968 by occasionally commenting on racial issues of the day (the black doctor who is asked to be replaced), and conspicuous shots of blacks, other minorities (after Ross is shot at the hotel) and hippies, porn shops on the corner, etc. I found the airport tarmac chase scene even better than the car chase, the dwarfing of the characters and deafening din by the jumbo Pan American 747s completely pulls the viewer in as if he or she is right there. There were some other great scenes which could almost stand alone, such as one in a restaurant where a jazz quartet (with flute-nice 1960s touch) is playing. It fades into the next scene in which Steve McQueen is laying in bed the next morning, reminiscing about the mood in that restaurant.

Many people complain about the slowness of the film, and it is slow, and the use of such "pointless" scenes as the one in the restaurant, but I find this is one of the things that makes it so great. It conveys the complexity and mundaneness of everyday life. This is a refreshing contrast to hollywood films which are always action-packed and one-dimensional. This film is a pleasure to watch. You come away from it feeling like you have experienced many things, and you're not sure what all they are.

"You work your side of the street, and I'll work mine."

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 29 December 2015]

"Bullitt" is arguably the defining moment of Steve McQueen's acting career, so it's hard to imagine that he actually had to be talked into doing it. The film was made at a time when cops were routinely referred to as 'pigs', and McQueen felt that his fans might turn on him for taking on such a role. However the actor decided to play the part against type, not as a clear cut cop, but as his own man with his own rules and sense of integrity. He also did a lot of it silently, using a face that revealed his emotions instead of wasting a lot of useless dialog.

As for the action scenes, macho man McQueen insisted on doing all the driving for the now famous car chase scene himself. However wiser heads at the studio weren't about to lose McQueen's star power due to an untimely accident, so for a particularly intense portion of the shooting, a stunt man was used on a day when McQueen overslept and didn't make it to the set on time. If you're watching the movie and can't see the driver, take note of the car's interior mirror. If it's visible in the scene, McQueen's doing the driving; if not, then it's stunt man Bud Eakins. (Source for the above is writer Marshall Terrill in his book "Steve McQueen").

What bothers me about the picture is the whole business with the surrogate Albert Rennick standing in for mobster Johnny Ross (Pat Renella) who's set to testify in front of a Senate committee against 'The Organization'. It doesn't make sense to me that Rennick would have willingly involved himself to stand in for a known gangster. There's also the convoluted involvement of the cab driver (Robert Duvall) taking note of the real Johnny Ross making calls from a phone booth. What would have made it so interesting that he would note that a lot of coins were used to make a long distance call? I guess I could re-watch the movie but I'm not so sure that would clear things up enough for me.

For me then, it's not so much the story as it is watching Steve McQueen go through his motions as the 'King of Cool'. He originally caught my eye when I was just a kid watching "Wanted: Dead or Alive" with my Dad, and ever since I've kept a sharp eye out for bounty hunter Josh Randall wherever he showed up. Trading in his horse for a Cobra Mustang in "Bullitt" was a cool way to go.

Not impressed!

[CuriosityKilledShawn · 4/10 · 11 March 2007]

Somewhere inside the overlong, 114-minute Bullitt there is a brisk 90-minute long film desperate to get out. But as it is, it's seriously overlong with nothing to sustain it. Many pointless scenes come and go with loads of long, indulgent tracking shots goose-up the running time. I almost nodded-off a few times, I honestly don't see what all the fuss is about regarding this film.

The paper-thin story has Detective Bullitt trying to determine how a Mob informant in Police custody managed to be killed (he's not actually killed until about an hour later though). A local politician (Robery Vaughn, who didn't really want to do the film) acts as the token bureaucrat, standing in the way of getting things done. But getting WHAT done exactly? In 114 minutes almost NOTHING happens in this damn movie! Instead of mystery, clues, police procedure, shoot-outs and problem-solving we're treated to scene after scene of...not much. Bullitt eats food at the hospital, he goes shopping for celery and TV dinners, he hangs around with his girlfriend (a completely pointless character played by Jaqueline Bissett) and sometimes takes a passing interest in the case. About 80-minutes into this bore he is FINALLY involved in a car chase (THE car chase that everyone raves about) that 'tears up' the streets of San Francisco.

I don't understand why this film has so much adoration or why all the fans proclaim it's 'the original and best', 'the one that started it all' or any other generic soundbite you can think of. There were cop movies before this, there were car chases before this. What exactly is Bullitt credited with 'starting'?

A sense of being cool, calm and collected doesn't turn water into wine. Bullitt is plain, repetitive, agonizingly slow and almost completely without a plot. Don't consider me a philistine or someone who has been brainwashed by the over-edited nature of modern films where we're guaranteed and explosion every five minutes. I appreciate films from all eras and from all backgrounds. But Bullitt is just way, way overrated certainly does not deserve the high regard it's been lauded with. A real disappointment.

Frank Bullitt Is Slick

[CalRhys · 13 July 2014]

Steve McQueen is Frank Bullitt! Frank Bullitt is slick! 'Bullitt' is thrilling! The stylish mystery thriller that created a basis for all future police procedurals to follow! With fantastic direction from Peter Yates and immaculate attention to detail on the stunning cinematography, 'Bullitt' is an attention-demanding and action-packed adventure supported by a jazz-fuelled score. When reviewing this crime flick, who could overlook the unforgettable Mustang v Charger chase through the streets of San Francisco which is arguably the greatest and most influential car chase ever filmed. 'Bullitt' is a dark and suspenseful masterpiece from Peter Yates.

The real king......

[dixie-18 · 10/10 · 29 October 2003]

McQueen was really the King of Cool. I have read many comments here about this film, and some say it is slow, some say it is an action thriller. Thrilling it is! Steve did not have to jabber in every scene to dominate this film. The car chase is unequaled to this day. How can anything on the road in later years compare to the "muscle cars" of the late 60s? But Steve was the star, make no mistake, and even though the dialogue was minimal, it was enough. Steve McQueen had that power on the screen. He remains one of Hollywood's best, even though he passed away over twenty years ago. We will not see the likes of him for many more years. Women loved him, men loved him too. If you have not seen many of his films, watch any you can. Watch him in Tom Horn (1980), and Papillon (1973). Try The Getaway (1972), Junior Bonner (1972)and the humorous The Reivers (1969). Of course, The Sand Pebbles (1966) , The Great Escape (1963), and the ever classic The Magnificent Seven(1960) are among his most popular films. You never go wrong with any of these.

Still the greatest car chase sequence in any thriller ever made

[theowinthrop · 10/10 · 20 September 2007]

I have found in my life that few films hit me properly from the start. BULLITT (which I first saw at College) was one of them. It cemented my high opinion of the cinematic acting ability of Steve McQueen, and it has always struck me as one of the best police "procedural" films in terms of the way the investigation is handled by McQueen's titled character. But the chase, at the center of the film, is the highpoint that made me love the film. And oddly enough, Director Peter Yates manages to somewhat top it with the second chase through the runways of an airport at the film's conclusion.

McQueen works under Simon Oakland as a detective in the San Francisco Police Department. He lives with his artistic girlfriend Jacqueline Bissett. One day he is one of the detectives assigned to protect an important witness against the mob that is supposed to be presented to the anti-crime commission by millionaire/would-be politician Robert Vaughn. The witness is set up in a motel with policemen as guards. There should be no problem. Yet two mob hit men manage to crash in, wound the police (one fatally) and kill the witness. McQueen is told of this and goes to the hospital. He has little use for Vaughn (an arrogant creep if ever there was one), or his stooge central police connection Norman Fell. His sole interest now is to find the killers and figure out what happened. He does so by hiding the fact that the witness died - and spreading the word that the police are now redoubling efforts to protect the witness.

While Vaughn fumes and Fell threatens Oakland and McQueen, the latter continues the investigation, aided by cabby Robert Duvall (in an early role). This leads to the chase sequence, which starts with us being aware that the cab and then McQueen's car are being followed by a car with the two hit men in it. The beginning of the sequence is mild, as we see them driving after McQueen, but the turning point is when they have apparently lost him, and he reappears following their car. Then they go into the outskirts of San Francisco, and the roads from the city, with the added threats of other vehicles and of a twelve gage sawed - off shotgun one of the hit men uses.

There are nice procedural moments throughout: McQueen seeing the set up of the now closed crime scene at the motel, with ribbons tracing the trajectories of the bullets; the investigation of a dead woman's trunk and belongings to figure out why she was killed; a sequence with a 1968 version (possibly a first) of a fax machine of that period - a favorite scene of mine because it knocks the props out of both Vaughn's arrogance and Fell's belief that his own future in the police is made. And the issues of the effect of the job on McQueen is not forgotten either. Bissett witnesses the aftermath of some violence, and confronts him on how he can stand it every day.

I do not think any other crime and cop thriller ever hit the notes so naturally and perfectly together. The cast helps from McQueen down to the two hit men (silent roles for stunt men). Witness too that Simon Oakland plays a nice character for once, and does well with his part (look at the scene between him and a threatening Vaughn outside the church Oakland is taking his family to on Sunday). Vaughn is great as a smarmy, selfish piece of work who sees people as pawns to play with for his own benefit. McQueen finally tells him off, but does it effectively and without histrionics.

This is one of those films that just never ages.

An enjoyable movie with lots of plot holes

[elhonig-902-129896 · 7/10 · 16 April 2023]

This is an enjoyable film, but it's weak on story line and lack of action. The exception of course is a great, lengthy car chase segment in and out of San Francisco. Steve McQueen as Bullitt doesn't have a whole lot to do here. He was assigned to guard a witness in a trial, but early in the movie the witness is killed. The rest of the movie is McQueen wandering around SF trying to figure out what happened and why. It seemed to me that Bullit was good at finding suspects, but not so good at keeping them. Generally when he finds them again, he ends up shooting or killing them so he never gets to fill in the plot holes. Robert Vaughn was appropriately slimy as an annoying DA. Still the movie had interesting camera work, and enjoyable scenery of San Francisco in the 1970s. It was a nice way to pass the time for a couple of hours.

A Not-to-be Missed Thriller

[DrHypersonic · 10/10 · 29 May 2005]

Bullitt is an extraordinary film, memorable, powerful, and absolutely riveting. The plot has twists and turns that are believable and lack any pretense of being forced or artificial. Justly heralded for its tremendous car chase--a tribute to legendary driver Bill Hickman, arguably the finest of all motion picture drivers--the film as well captures the feel of gritty detective work in a form that has been copied frequently since, but rarely, if ever, equaled. The film is a delight as a period piece: the easy-going, already laid-back Bay area culture of the late 1960's and early 1970's, the tension between the cool, vaguely anti-establishment Bullitt and the straight-laced local officials and department heads that he finds himself compelled to work with. The other actors are themselves a superb supporting cast: old-timers like Simon Oakland, Norman Fell, an oily (and vaguely Bobby Kennedy-ish) Robert Vaughn, and Don Gordon (as Bullitt's long-suffering but intensely loyal partner). But, as well, there are memorable newcomers: George Sanford Brown as an overworked doctor, Robert Duvall as a sharp taxi driver, and Jacqueline Bisset as Bullitt's trophy architect-girlfriend. Lalo Schifrin contributed a superb, memorable score--just the right mix of jazz and brass and percussion. And, of course, that glorious Mustang. . . .!!! Not to be missed!!!!!

Which 1968 are we talking about here?

[Masoo · 6/10 · 19 July 2005]

The car chase scene is fine, but the whole movie is pretty pointless. The plot must have been the boilerplate for subsequent Quinn Martin TV productions in the 70s, and in fact the movie could have been 50 minutes long and been just as good.

The best thing about the movie is seeing San Francisco in 1968. The weirdest thing about the movie is that it takes place in San Francisco in 1968, and there is no sense that anything different was happening, in San Francisco or anywhere else in the world, in 1968. Dirty Harry in 1971 was clearly of its time and place, a response to what had happened in 1968 and the rest of the 60s. Bullitt, which takes place in that time and place, could have been filmed ten years earlier or ten years later. There is no larger sense of politics ... the district attorney is ambitious, but that pales against what was actually happening in San Francisco, and Paris, and Chicago, doesn't it? It was only a year after the Summer of Love, but there's not a hippie in sight. If it wasn't for the hills and the landmarks, you'd think the movie was made in Omaha in 1974.

This One IS the Trendsetter

[jmg38 · 10/10 · 13 March 2004]

This movie started the ball rolling for all future rogue cop movies. Reviewers complaining that "it's all been done" need to shake their head - it's all been done AFTER Bullit was released.

What is surprising is the way it incorporates many small true-to-life touches throughout the movie that do not normally make it onto the screen. (NOT SPOILERS) The quiet way McQueen keeps eating his sandwich despite a withering glare from Vaughn, the way the son of the police captain interrupts his Dad and Vaughn to say that Mom wants to get into the church, the way Bisset suddenly snaps out in fear and anger just like many people in relationships do. None of these make or break the movie - nor are they meant to - but their cumulative impact is refreshing.

Another (almost) true-to-life touch is the car chase - no dramatic music, no overly suspenseful camera work, just a flat out race between two bellowing muscle cars. They even left in the mistakes of missed corners and unplanned impacts with parked vehicles. This wasn't your perfect Hollywood car chase scene, this really was a couple of dumb a**es (the cop and the bad guy) getting caught up in the adrenaline of the moment and thinking that driving too fast would somehow solve their situation.

Simply watch this movie, and you will see how good it is. If, instead, you watch it expecting the biggest most dramatic most earth-shattering breakthrough movie of all time, you immediately destroy the entire concept and only YOU will be responsible for the disappointment.

Unmissable Classic Sixties Cop Thriller

[ShootingShark · 7/10 · 2 May 2005]

Frank Bullitt, a San Fransisco police detective, is assigned to protect an important mob witness for the grand jury in a downtown motel. Unfortunately, the informant is killed by two hit men who knew where to come, and Bullitt suspects a larger plot. Unable to trust anyone, he must risk his job and his life to uncover who is behind the murder.

Bullitt is a terrific cop movie and one of the most influential, which a lot of people find boring for precisely the reason it's so good - its commitment to realism. It's a laudable attempt to take a stylised action thriller and present the characters as realistically as possible. This is done through using real locations, subtle understated acting and rigorous adherence to investigative procedure. At the same time, the direction is extremely stylish; mean old Frisco is captured perfectly and Yates adds lots of lovely little unnecessary but intriguing character touches into the film (the nodding-dog in the back of Duvall's taxi-cab, McQueen picking up handfuls of TV dinners in the grocery-store, Bissett's statistical tables of pipe volume-to-pressure ratios). As a consequence, the film is somehow very real and immediate and yet also supercool and fun. It's also very famous for the brilliant car chase halfway through between McQueen in a green Shelby Cobra and stuntman Hickman in a black Dodge Charger, which is absolutely sensational; not only is it brilliantly shot (it starts as a slow-burn stalking and turns into a screaming high-octane affair), starting in the city and then moving out to the Californian coast, but McQueen did all his own driving too. Featuring great ensemble acting, excellent photography by William A. Fraker and a sensational jazz score by Lalo Schifrin, this is a terrific police movie which is both exciting and dramatic.

Before cell phones, i-pods and mostly plastic over-priced cars and special effects... there was "BULLITT"

[buzznzipp1995 · 10/10 · 12 July 2006]

Far be it for me to say, that not all movies have residual value.

The studio exec's had a seven picture deal with McQueen's Seven Arts company, and did not like that Steve stood up for his project and would not lay down. He did not want to 'fake' the city back ground on studio 'back lots' he wanted to stay true to the art, not the convenience and artificiality of typical studio movie-faking techniques. The formed 'formula', that the Indies have been rebelling against for years. McQueen was a true rebel and with a method to his madness, indeed.

The studios executives became so 'Upset' at his 'stance' that they came back to him and cut the contract with him, eliminating the remaining six unmade films. What a joke. That fact was the 'joke' was on them, in fairness the movie even after decades is still one of the strongest of action movies with a storyline to follow.

No 'B-S' special effects. What you see took real-time work to make it happened. One of the fastest chase scenes ever filmed in a car after using the backdrop of 'Mansell' road in the San Fran area. The reason why the movie feels so good is due to being as close to real as possible.

I hate, as I'm sure many discriminating movie lovers do, the executive presto-change-o in the movie script or budget, that is usually done at the last minute of production time, like what was done to Director: Sidney J Furie on "SUPERMAN IV" The Quest for Peace (1987) where they slashed his budget to about half of the original arrangement, and then said basically 'Well, what are you looking at? Get going! Bring us back a block-buster.' It's never been truer,what they say, choose your 'battles' wisely. This is how it looks when you have grit and stick to your business with strength, you either get killed, or you become immovable. The studio execs are not gods, of the entertainment world. Although they would like to think they are just that.

But indeed, Steve took his 'licks' from the principals of the school of movie-hard-knocks and then got up again and said, I'll still do it in my style. -From what I read and heard about him. This is one of my all-time favorite movies. Thank you Mr. McQueen & Mr. Yates for making it Epic. There should be in the modern directorial training classes a of the way this was scripted, set up, lit and shot. Even after 30years plus, this still rocks even new productions and will live on further than many recent and newer films. The real interesting thing for me is that just as this is one of my all time favorite's, this was on the top four all-time favorites for "Elvis Presley".

Recommended for lovers of awesome action and good stories. This is a winner all the way.(*****)

Got boring over time.

[PeteB123 · 6/10 · 14 June 2020]

Oh my, what a difference in taste fifty years will do. Boring, scenes that overstayed their welcome, too much Steve McQueen face scenes doing or saying nothing. Then again, there's the ten minute car chase scene with the primo green Mustang.

This Bullitt is a dud.

[bowtiecinema · 1/10 · 26 November 2006]

For being such a famous film and an Oscar winner for Best Editing, this film has serious pacing and continuity problems. Bullitt is the film that contains one of the most famous car chase scenes in cinema history. It's obvious that the car chase scene was very revolutionary at the time, but when you consider what's been made since, Bullitt isn't even worth mentioning. However bad some of the editing in this film may be, some of it is still quite good, but in my opinion not continuous enough to be considered Oscar worthy. Bullitt is an action film. Action means fast-paced excitement. Bullitt is boring. The entire film drags along with long pauses in between the dialog and very monotone acting that seems like a bad version of an M. Night Shyamalan film without any of the rewarding moments. The twists in the story are very straight forward, but they are somehow written very confusingly. In my opinion there is no "Bullitt" in this gun. Nothing has fired off that's worth remembering.