Bullitt (1968) (PG)
Directed by Peter Yates
Starring: Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, Jacqueline Bisset, Don Gordon
Daughter Says:
I’ve heard of Steve McQueen before. We all know what I said about him in The Great Escape. I feel in love with him. He was my big hero. So when Dad brought home Bullitt and McQueen was on the front cover I was all gung-ho to watch it. I would never have thought McQueen could have played such a serious role like a detective, but he sure did pull it off. In this movie, he and his two partners are hired to protect a witness from the mob, but all goes wrong when the witness opens the door and the mob walks in shooting up the witness and Bulitt’s partner. For all who care, the cop who got shot wasn’t a major character so no worries, but the witness on the other hand was a major part. Now, the district attorney wants Bullitt fired for many things that I wouldn’t tell you. You’ll just have to watch the movie, won’t you?
I am in love with this movie. I would watch it over a million times. Mystery/crime movies are my favorite genre, so I generally like any of these kinds of movies. There have been exceptions, but this movie is not one of them. It had the perfect set up and great actors. There weren’t even really big names (I mean like Brad Pitt or someone like that) to waste their money on, so they could spend their money on good directing, writing, and cinematography.
Bullitt certainly deserved the Academy Award for editing. Its chase scene was so amazing. Bullitt was heading down the road when two hit men start tailing him. He turns the tables, so that Bullitt is now following the hit men. That’s where the chase begins. Watching two really nice sport cars running through the hills of San Francisco made this movie something else. It was so perfectly shot that the scene almost seemed like it could have been on one of those reality cop shows. Whoever did the stunt driving for this scene was amazing, because I’ve heard that driving at a normal speed on those hills can be a pain in the butt.
So if you haven’t guessed it yet, I do highly recommend this movie. So go see it.
Rating for Bullitt: *****.
Daddy Says:
The 60's were a pretty good decade for actor Steve McQueen. In 1963, he turned in a star-making performance in The Great Escape. Five years later, he made this film which many people, myself included, consider to be his best.
If you've seen Bullitt, or even have heard of it, you'll probably remember that it has a famous car chase in it. And it does. But there are many other things to recommend other than one lengthy, really great car chase through the steep slopes of San Francisco. Robert Vaughn makes for a great antagonist to Steve McQueen's ultra laid-back detective. And his girlfriend, the exquisitely beautiful Jacqueline Bisset, supports him as best she can, while still wondering if all the carnage he sees daily has affected his ability to emotionally connect with another person. That's pretty deep for a part that could have been just another pretty face.
The story is essentially a simple one: detective is assigned to protect a federal witness, then must follow-up after the witness is killed. But it's the unexpected twists to the story that make it great, such as hiding the body as a "John Doe" in the morgue and lying to the District Attorney about it's whereabouts to make him think the witness is still alive. And getting the doctor in charge to go along with the plan, because of the hurt feelings he has after the aforementioned District Attorney tries to have him replaced because he's "too young and inexperienced".
Bullitt is a great example of late 60's action filmmaking at it's finest. This is the film that Steve McQueen is most known for. Highly recommended. And as I may have mentioned, it has a really, really great car chase scene right in the middle of it.
Rating for Bullitt: ****3/4.
Directed by Peter Yates
Starring: Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, Jacqueline Bisset, Don Gordon
Daughter Says:
I’ve heard of Steve McQueen before. We all know what I said about him in The Great Escape. I feel in love with him. He was my big hero. So when Dad brought home Bullitt and McQueen was on the front cover I was all gung-ho to watch it. I would never have thought McQueen could have played such a serious role like a detective, but he sure did pull it off. In this movie, he and his two partners are hired to protect a witness from the mob, but all goes wrong when the witness opens the door and the mob walks in shooting up the witness and Bulitt’s partner. For all who care, the cop who got shot wasn’t a major character so no worries, but the witness on the other hand was a major part. Now, the district attorney wants Bullitt fired for many things that I wouldn’t tell you. You’ll just have to watch the movie, won’t you?
I am in love with this movie. I would watch it over a million times. Mystery/crime movies are my favorite genre, so I generally like any of these kinds of movies. There have been exceptions, but this movie is not one of them. It had the perfect set up and great actors. There weren’t even really big names (I mean like Brad Pitt or someone like that) to waste their money on, so they could spend their money on good directing, writing, and cinematography.
Bullitt certainly deserved the Academy Award for editing. Its chase scene was so amazing. Bullitt was heading down the road when two hit men start tailing him. He turns the tables, so that Bullitt is now following the hit men. That’s where the chase begins. Watching two really nice sport cars running through the hills of San Francisco made this movie something else. It was so perfectly shot that the scene almost seemed like it could have been on one of those reality cop shows. Whoever did the stunt driving for this scene was amazing, because I’ve heard that driving at a normal speed on those hills can be a pain in the butt.
So if you haven’t guessed it yet, I do highly recommend this movie. So go see it.
Rating for Bullitt: *****.
Daddy Says:
The 60's were a pretty good decade for actor Steve McQueen. In 1963, he turned in a star-making performance in The Great Escape. Five years later, he made this film which many people, myself included, consider to be his best.
If you've seen Bullitt, or even have heard of it, you'll probably remember that it has a famous car chase in it. And it does. But there are many other things to recommend other than one lengthy, really great car chase through the steep slopes of San Francisco. Robert Vaughn makes for a great antagonist to Steve McQueen's ultra laid-back detective. And his girlfriend, the exquisitely beautiful Jacqueline Bisset, supports him as best she can, while still wondering if all the carnage he sees daily has affected his ability to emotionally connect with another person. That's pretty deep for a part that could have been just another pretty face.
The story is essentially a simple one: detective is assigned to protect a federal witness, then must follow-up after the witness is killed. But it's the unexpected twists to the story that make it great, such as hiding the body as a "John Doe" in the morgue and lying to the District Attorney about it's whereabouts to make him think the witness is still alive. And getting the doctor in charge to go along with the plan, because of the hurt feelings he has after the aforementioned District Attorney tries to have him replaced because he's "too young and inexperienced".
Bullitt is a great example of late 60's action filmmaking at it's finest. This is the film that Steve McQueen is most known for. Highly recommended. And as I may have mentioned, it has a really, really great car chase scene right in the middle of it.
Rating for Bullitt: ****3/4.
I have to mention typos on both Daughter and (Oh MY!!!) Daddy!!! Too funny!!!! Also, if I can just remind Daughter that Brad Pitt was born in Dec. of 1963, so that would have made him 5 in 1968. He wasn't acting then. LOL!!! I get what you were trying to say. However, the reference is an excellent example of why Daddy wanted to do this. :)
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