Im on top of my game as of late, posting early that is... 30-Day Film Challenge: Day 19 Favorite Action Film Bullitt (1968, Peter Yates) Starring: Steve McQueen, Jacqueline Bissett, Robert Vaughn, Don Gordon, Simon Oakland, Norman Fell, Robert Duvall, Georg Stanford Brown ...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 todays 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 Bullitts near obsession to work. Unlike todays 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 characters emotions and not a directors ambition to blow stuff up. Bullitt wants to get the bottom of the case, he wants to find out whos 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. Not to mention that it utilizes my beloved second home, San Francisco, to such great effect. It is among my favorite San Francisco-set films, alongside the likes of Vertigo, Milk and The Maltese Falcon.
Posted on: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 01:37:41 +0000
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