Wednesday 9 April 2014

Bullitt [1968]

Bullitt was a smash hit crime thriller, and comprised of one of the most scintillating car chase sequences ever filmed. That it also stressed on the dubious relationship between police investigation and political interference, had a cop as its lead who regularly challenges authority and due processes, and prefers ends over means, and was imbued with a gritty and grimy urban feel, ensured that it acted as a trend-setter for Hollywood in the years to come. Adapted from the Robert L. Fish novel Mute Witness by Yates for his first American movie, it had Steve McQueen, in one of his most famous screen roles, as its eponymous protagonist Frank Bullitt, a tough, taciturn and no-nonsense police detective. A seemingly routine job goes awry when a witness for the State against the Mafia who he’s asked to protect, is ambushed at his hide-out by professional assassins. Bullitt feels there’s something amiss at the turn of events, and using his hunch he decides to continue with his investigation on his own, and this earns him the wrath of an ambitious politician (Robert Vaughn) for whom the witness was a key political trump-card. That his detachment towards the dirt and violence around him is making his stunningly attractive fiancée (Jacqueline Bisset) increasingly wary, added a third, albeit minor, dimension to the storyline. Right from the stylish opening credits accompanied by a fine jazz score, it kept me glued to the screen. And that reached its feverish height during the near-10 minute chase sequence where Bullitt, in his Ford Mustang, is madly following the antagonists in a Dodge Charger all across San Francisco – the engine roar and screeching tires of the muscle cars made for the perfect score for the segment.








Director: Peter Yates
Genre: Thriller/Crime Thriller
Language: English
Country: US

8 comments:

Chris said...

It seems you liked it a bit more than I did. Does have a strong performance by Steve McQueen, though the story didn't leave a lasting impression on me, besides the car chase. I probably need to see it again, to give it its due. Good review.

Shubhajit said...

Thanks Chris. Though I didn't speak about the film's weaknesses, on the whole I did like it. Yes, do give it another try sometime.

Sam Juliano said...

Excellent review of a film that is now regarded as a classic of its kind, featuring what is considered the most iconic cinematic chase sequence ever. But of course you say as much yourself at the outset. And yes, Lalo Schifrin exceptional jazz score is a standalone!

Shubhajit said...

Thanks Sam. This is the kind of film that one can sit back & enjoy any given day. The fact that it became a trendsetter in the police procedural sub-genre adds more cookies to its basket.

teddy crescendo said...

Shubhajit, mainstream Hollywood movies seem rather out of place on this site, i think you should just stay with reveiwing the highbrow eletist stuff.

Shubhajit said...

Whoever said that a film can be good only if its "highbrow" & "elitist"? Even the likes of Godfathrer, Gold Rush, etc. were mainstream films, and very good films too.

teddy crescendo said...

I didn`t realise that you actually do genuinely like Hollywood blockbusters my old mate, its just that some sites are totally contemptuous of the Hollywood product, "Strickly Film School" for instance, they wouldn`t reveiw a Michael Bay movie if their lives depended on it ! ! !.

Shubhajit said...

I love good cinema Teddy, and it doesn't matter if its an obscure, cerebral, languidly-paced, bleak East European arthouse film or a hyper-kinetic, muscular, testosterone-fuelled & gripping Hollywood movie. In fact, if you go through my site, you'll find loads of American films (including the mainstream ones & old classics) reviewed in it. Only that I don't watch anything & everything thrown at us by Holly anymore - I've become quite selective at that.