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.
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.