San Francisco Police Lieutenant Bullitt's tasked by ambitious Walter Chalmers, to guard Johnny Ross, a Chicago mobster who's about to turn evidence against the organisation. Chalmers wants Ross' safety at all cost, or else Bullitt will pay the consequences.Written by
Huggo
During the chase, after Bullitt misses a turn and does a reverse burnout, only the right rear tire "burns rubber" as he drives away from camera. This indicates that the Mustang was not equipped with a limited-slip differential (the gears that transfer power from the driveshaft to the rear axle half-shafts). Both "open" and "limited-slip" diffs allow the wheels to rotate at different speeds in corners for efficiency and comfort. An open diff will allow the wheel with less grip to spin under high load (or on low friction surfaces). But a limited-slip diff balances the power between left and right wheels when traction is lost on one or both sides. The Mustang would have done a two-wheel burnout if it were equipped with a limited-slip differential. See more »
Goofs
During the pursuit through the airport, Bullitt wears a trench coat, jacket, and blue shirt. At the end, when he gets closer to his apartment, he's still wearing the trench coat and the jacket is in his hand. Inside the apartment he is wearing a brown cardigan over the shirt and the trench coat is in his hand. See more »
Quotes
Captain Bennet:
Albert Edward Renick, used car salesman, Chicago.
Chalmers:
Who's Renick?
Bullitt:
He was the man who was shot at the Hotel Daniels. You sent us to guard the wrong man, Mr. Chalmers.
See more »
Alternate Versions
During the car chase, when the Charger goes wide on a corner and hits a camera, the film was salvaged and red frames added at the end, to give a "point of impact" impression. Despite this gag being in situ for decades, on the current Cinemax Asia print, someone has seen fit to completely remove these last frames of the shot. See more »
Steve McQueen stars as Frank Bullitt, a tough San Francisco police lieutenant assigned to protect a mob witness. When the witness is gunned down, it is up to Bullitt to exact his own brand of justice, much to the dismay of Robert Vaughn, a smarmy congressman who wishes to further his political career by prosecuting organized crime. He holds Bullitt responsible for the death of his star witness, and it is up to the super cop to bring the killer down, while showing Vaughn that he is nothing but a gussied-up sissy-boy.
McQueen's performance in this all-time classic is the archetype for not only anyone who aspires to become an actor, but also for the proper way to live like a real man. Think about it. He disregards such nonsense as police procedure, he gets to drive a really cool car, and if that's not enough, Jacqueline Bisset worships the ground he walks on. As far as I'm concerned, this guy's the luckiest guy on earth!
As for the supporting cast, you could not have asked for a better one. The great Simon Oakland is perfect as Bullitt's sympathetic captain. Fans may remember Oakland as the psychologist at the end of "Psycho," in what may be the most brawny portrayal of a shrink in modern cinema. Robert Vaughn exudes the right amount of smarminess and stupidity associated with politicians. Norman Fell displays why he is one of the most underrated talents of this half-century in his portrayal of one of Vaughn's associates. Jacqueline Bisset shows up for window dressing as Bullitt's girlfriend. (Let's face it. If she were a "real-life" girlfriend, she would probably cry and nag McQueen all day, preventing him from engaging in really cool activities like speeding through the streets of San Francisco, chasing after lowlife scum.) And as a bonus, Robert Duvall appears briefly in the greatest portrayal of a cab driver of all time. (That is, of course, until Mr. T starred in "D.C. Cab.")
The movie wisely dispenses with such useless elements as plot and emotion. Instead, genius auteur Peter Yates allows McQueen to concentrate on looking intense and dealing with all the existential problems of any real man, such as how to ignore stupid politicians and treat them as if they are irrelevant.
Aside from the NECESSARY violence, there is nothing in this PG-rated film that any self-respecting parent would find objectionable. In fact, when my daughter can appreciate quality films, aside from the Barney collection, this will be the first of many required-viewing films for her, followed by "The Dirty Dozen," "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly," and "Dirty Harry."
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Steve McQueen stars as Frank Bullitt, a tough San Francisco police lieutenant assigned to protect a mob witness. When the witness is gunned down, it is up to Bullitt to exact his own brand of justice, much to the dismay of Robert Vaughn, a smarmy congressman who wishes to further his political career by prosecuting organized crime. He holds Bullitt responsible for the death of his star witness, and it is up to the super cop to bring the killer down, while showing Vaughn that he is nothing but a gussied-up sissy-boy.
McQueen's performance in this all-time classic is the archetype for not only anyone who aspires to become an actor, but also for the proper way to live like a real man. Think about it. He disregards such nonsense as police procedure, he gets to drive a really cool car, and if that's not enough, Jacqueline Bisset worships the ground he walks on. As far as I'm concerned, this guy's the luckiest guy on earth!
As for the supporting cast, you could not have asked for a better one. The great Simon Oakland is perfect as Bullitt's sympathetic captain. Fans may remember Oakland as the psychologist at the end of "Psycho," in what may be the most brawny portrayal of a shrink in modern cinema. Robert Vaughn exudes the right amount of smarminess and stupidity associated with politicians. Norman Fell displays why he is one of the most underrated talents of this half-century in his portrayal of one of Vaughn's associates. Jacqueline Bisset shows up for window dressing as Bullitt's girlfriend. (Let's face it. If she were a "real-life" girlfriend, she would probably cry and nag McQueen all day, preventing him from engaging in really cool activities like speeding through the streets of San Francisco, chasing after lowlife scum.) And as a bonus, Robert Duvall appears briefly in the greatest portrayal of a cab driver of all time. (That is, of course, until Mr. T starred in "D.C. Cab.")
The movie wisely dispenses with such useless elements as plot and emotion. Instead, genius auteur Peter Yates allows McQueen to concentrate on looking intense and dealing with all the existential problems of any real man, such as how to ignore stupid politicians and treat them as if they are irrelevant.
Aside from the NECESSARY violence, there is nothing in this PG-rated film that any self-respecting parent would find objectionable. In fact, when my daughter can appreciate quality films, aside from the Barney collection, this will be the first of many required-viewing films for her, followed by "The Dirty Dozen," "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly," and "Dirty Harry."