Bullitt

Bullitt

“Bullitt” is a well-known cult film directed by Peter Yates back in 1968. I’m ashamed to say it took me this long to finally see it for the first time. Upon looking at the cover I had the impression “Bullitt” would be a mix of “Dirty Harry” and “Vanishing Point” with a good combination of the though-as-nails detective and exciting car chases, but it didn’t turn out to be that way.

Lt. Frank Bullitt (Steve McQueen) is given an assignment from Mr. Chambers (Robert Vaughn) to protect his witness Johnny Ross over the weekend until his scheduled appearance for the testimony against The Organization on Monday. However, Mr. Ross gets killed the same day and Bullitt has to find who did it by Monday or the whole court case will go to hell.

I’ll be frank, I was disappointed with “Bullitt”. It’s mostly because I was simply expecting a masterpiece without any doubt in my mind that it could be otherwise. I mean, old films always hold up to their reputation and I’ve heard nothing but praise for “Bullitt”. And it isn’t a bad film by any means; it’s just very different from what I thought it would be. To begin with, there is almost no action in it except for the car chase at the approx. 65 minute mark. The chase is what saves the film for me. It’s a pretty lengthy scene spanning over ten minutes and various terrains ending in a big explosion. Unlike the "climax" that turns out to be an equally lengthy foot chase across the airport which was definitely not the finale I was hoping for.

The character Bullitt is pretty far from what his name suggests, he’s not a badass detective at all. Hell, he doesn’t even raise his voice for the whole duration of the film. In fact, he must be one of the calmest and down-to-earth cops I’ve ever seen on film. And he’s first and foremost a man of words and not guns. He fires two shots in the film, at the very end. Bullitt is more like Columbo, rather than Harry Callahan. And while I’ve got nothing against Columbo, I’ll take Callahan over him every day. However, McQueen did portray him perfectly so I've got no complaints on the matter.

There’s also a subplot involving Bullitt’s girlfriend Cathy (Jacqueline Bisset) who’s opposed to his job as a detective, dealing with murders and atrocities every day so she starts nagging about how it will affect him, will he become a heartless, soulless and uncompassionate human being and where’s their relationship going. Or something like that. Truth is, if there was any point in all of it - was it to further develop the character or what - I missed it.

The famous Lalo Schifrin has made an excellent and memorable main theme, but the rest of the soundtrack is mostly some brass/percussion BGM with some traces of jazz. To each their own, but this isn't exactly my cup of tea.

I never thought I’d be saying this, but in my opinion “Bullitt” is overrated. As much as I tried I couldn’t see anything more than just another detective story - good, but nothing special - and one that  I won’t be coming back to very soon.

Rating: 7/10

- review by Ventilation Shaft

Recommendations:

Movies 365: Day 48 – Bullitt

For years Steve McQueen has embodied the Platonic ideal of “cool,” just watch him in The Great Escape, but McQueen, was never cooler than he was in Bullitt, at least that’s what my Dad has always told me. I mean, one of the taglines for Shaft was “Hotter than Bond. Cooler than Bullitt.” He must’ve been cool right? But, the real question, the one that really matters, is whether or not there was something under that cool, was it all just flash and surface, or was McQueen, and by extension Bullitt himself cool just because he was cool, or was he something more than just cool?

Well, I’m happy to report that in Bullitt, and as Bullitt, Steve McQueen is cool, really cool as a matter of fact, but there’s also something else there. He’s not just cool because he’s cool (and believe me, the discussion of what makes something cool or not could be fodder for another extraordinarily long post), he’s cool because there’s more to him than just the surface flash.

Steve McQueen plays Lieutenant Frank Bullitt, a police officer tasked with guarding an important witness before he testifies at a hearing. When two hit men attack the witness, and two of the officers guarding him, Bullitt gets to work trying to figure out who’s after the witness. The film is twisty and all the better for it, Bullitt is not absolutely clear, or one of those films that you can just put on in the background. No, you need to pay attention, or the subtle details will be lost.

McQueen’s Bullitt is cool, from the way that he dresses, to the car that he drives, to the way he pulls his gun, but  he’s also cool because he’s good at his job. He’s got a confidence about him that is just cool, he knows what he’s doing, and he’s one step ahead of everyone else. But it’s not just McQueen, the whole film oozes cool, from it’s opening moments, due in no small part to the wonderful score by Lalo Schifrin, a percussive jazzy score that really compliments the film. Bullitt is perhaps most famous for it’s infamous car chase, and it doesn’t disappoint. As Bullitt tears through the streets of San Francisco chasing after the two hit men, the film really comes alive. Perhaps my favorite aspect of the chase is the fact that there is absolutely no score going during the chase. The only sound comes from the squealing of tires and the revving of engines, as the cars race through the hills of the city. It’s a great and visceral sequence, and one current filmmakers could learn a lot from. Bullitt is a great detective story, and just a really cool film, one definitely worth checking out.

P.S. Sorry for the rambling/incoherent nature of this post, it’s 5:15 in the morning, and I’m in need of sleep. Just for further clarification, in case you missed it, Steve McQueen = Cool.

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Last updated: 2010-03-05 02:18:11 by user05