Even after all these years, it still gives me a chill when the soundtrack stops dead when the pursuit starts and the song of the engine takes over. Wonderful creative choice.
According to Schifrin, the producers wanted music for the high-speed portion of the chase, but he convinced them that the sounds of the two engines would be just as effective, if not moreso. The driving bassline (ahem) playing during the cat-and-mouse prelude to the chase ("Shifting Gears") is one of my favorite pieces of film scoring.
Stunt driving legend Bill Hickman was the guy driving the charger, he also did the stunt driving in The French Connection, also was a close friend to James Dean and was first on the scene when he died in his car accident, legend! Thanks Madison!
Hickman also acted in The French Connection (unfriendly cop). He was a close friend of Steve McQueen, they were members of the US Motor Cross Team. Also an old friend to Gene Hackman. All of them were petrol heads.
Bill Hickman is also in the 1950 film, "To Please a Lady" with Clark Gable and Barbara Stanwyck. (a sprint car racing movie) I think it's his first film.
I would have given him an Oscar for best facial acting. I think his facial expressions during the chase is the best part. And a close second for buckling his seat belt
Next watch "The French Connection", made by the same production team, with the goal of topping the chase scene. Bullitt made McQueen an icon. For the ovie that made him a superstar, check out "The Great Escape".
It's nice seeing the evolution of car chases. Bullitt was an update of the classic western style. Like chasing a stagecoach, just with cars instead of horses. By The French Connection it was more of a personal pursuit by someone who happened to be in a car while doing it.
Two Steve McQueen “musts” are “The Sand Pebbles,” which no reactor seems to have watched, and “The Great Escape.” “The Sand Pebbles” was the biggest movie of 1966, with eight Oscar nominations, including the only nomination that McQueen ever got for best actor. I also recommend his last movie, “Tom Horn” (1980), a western based on an actual hired gun in the Montana range wars.
The Sand Pebbles..... a long movie but definitely worth watching ! I'm go throw two more into the movie mix......... Kellys Heroes ( 1970 ) 💰 Kelly ( Steve McQueen ) and his division are on a rest from the front but after he finds some interesting information they take a small trip behind enemy line$ .... ( Action Comedy Adventure ) Papillon ( 1965 ) 🦋 Steve McQueen Duston Hoffman both put in a tremendous performance in friendship that rivals Andy and Red of Shawshank Redemption. This is a top movie on any movie lovers favorites list.
I second "The Sand Pebbles". An epic film directed by Robert Wise and McQueen's only Academy Award nomination. In my opinion he deserved to win. Madison should do that one!
The driver was a pro, the gloves were not about fingerprints they were driving gloves. Race drivers use them for a better grip on the steering wheel and to prevent hand fatigue.
The 1968 R/ T 440 Charger has power steering. Not that it's needed at speed anyway, just nicer for parking. And ,Chrysler's power steering was way too light in those days, better off without it.
"Bullitt" and "24 hours of Le Mans" are my two favorite Steve McQueen movies!! The Le Mans movie doesn't have as an intricate story line but it really gives you the feeling of being at Le Mans and being in the drivers seat with the drivers and the physical toll, the changing weather, the competition!! Steve is awesome as usual!!
Ex-SCCA amateur racer and corner marshal here. I still claim that "Le Mans" does have a plot - but it's about the race instead of the people participating in it. I'll die on that hill! 🤣
@@LordEriolTolkien His most iconic role. Such a great show. I remember my older sister and all other teen-age girls having a crush on Illya Kuryakin (David McCallum). And to show close, circular degrees of separation, McCallum co-starred with McQueen in "The Great Escape". :)
"You work your side of the street and let me work mine " Ballsy talk to Chalmers. Featuring a black chief surgeon in the film was a bit ahead of it's time. Steve McQueen's character Frank Bullitt drew inspiration from real San Francisco police inspector Dave Toschi. Toschi was later noted for his work in investigating the Zodiac Killer murders.
@@jamesharper3933 The surgeon was played by Georg Stanford Brown, who was a regular on the cop drama, "The Rookies". He also was an episodic TV director ("Starsky & Hutch", "Hardcastle & McCormick"). He was married to Emmy winner, Tyne Daly ("Cagney & Lacey", "Judging Amy", "The Enforcer", "Spider-Man: Homecoming").
I grew up in a John Wayne/Clint Eastwood/Steve McQueen family, so I got my parents to take me to see this when it came out. The car chase was like a thrill ride on the big screen. I also loved the procedural realism of the investigation and the characterization. Films like this are why reactors should really take more of a look at groundbreaking 60s cinema.
Exactly the reaction of my Gen-X nephew. Watched for the famous chase, then said of the story-line "But it's so slow!". They've grown up with microwaves, broadband and fast-food drive-throughs. He drives some DoorDash, too. The Arrow of Time only flies forward. "Bullit", however, takes us back.
@@gemanscombe4985 Because there is so much media to consume now people aren't using it to relax to like older generations do. It was an outing to go to the cinema, sit back in the dark, relax and let the music and just focus on the screen. Usually you knew something was building, but later films ramp that up to be "better" than the last, meaning you get a lot more action until it's all action. Many reactors are sitting at a desk using earbuds with other distractions around them. I don't think many get a chance to "experience" the film.
18:49 It's not about leaving fingerprints. It's for better grip on the wheel. The driver of the Charger ... black car ... is Bill Hickman. A well renowned stunt driver.
"You can't out drive Steve McQueen." Damn right. Not a huge Ford fan, but I love me that '68 fastback GT. Total icon, and a pretty good movie. Great cast. One of my happiest Blu-rays.
Thank you for reviewing a very special movie to me. I'm a 69 year old car and movie-nut who first saw Steve McQueen in "The Great Escape". But when I saw "Bullitt" at age 13 in 1968, that car chase was imprinted on my brain. I didn't understanding the portrayal of his character and overall movie the way you did, and I really appreciate you insights into how this really was a character study (based on how it ended). But I did understand that Frank Bullitt always did what he knew he needed to do, even if the authorities told him not to...and I loved that... just like I loved it when Muhammad Ali (in real life) told the US government he wasn't going to fight in Vietnam. Fun side notes: In 2001, Ford decided to sell a "Bullitt edition" version of the 2001 Mustang GT, because so many Mustang fans were also fans of this film. And Ford did this again in 2008 and again in 2018/19. In fact, the public event Ford did to announce the 2018/19 Bullitt Mustang included the first public appearance of the original movie car, which had been finally been found. Ford had its owner meet Steve's granddaughter... a really emotional moment that's on RUclips if you look for it. Also.. I wound up buying a 2008 Mustang GT "Bullitt" edition and joined the International Mustang Bullitt Owners Club (IMBOC), which had developed a relationship with Steve McQueen's family through its support of the Boys Republic School in Chino Hills, California (just south of L.A.). This is the reform school that Steve was sent to when he was a kid, and he credited that school with saving him from a life of crime. He supported the school once he became famous and his family still does to this day... by hosting the annual Friends of Steve McQueen Charity Car and Motorcycle Show at the school's very large campus. The sight of top-quality cars and motorcycles - including a whole lot of Ford Mustang "Bullitt"s - is a car-guy's dream come true. Plus all the money raised goes to support this really special school. Thanks again for the great video!
The close up car did, the chase car was found as a bare body in Mexico it’s getting restored. The hero charger was discovered as a yellow rt, the other one was seen in a scrapyard in 1970
Thanks Madison. Although this is an excellent cop drama that deserves all of the accolades, the ending is sobering and personally, I think it is the reason that McQueen didn't make another and also, that he made the lighthearted "The Reivers" right after this one. Some say that Steve was a hard a**, jealous of several other actors like Paul Newman and James Garner (which he was), but he did have a tough upbringing and served as a Marine (as well as a true hero that saved lives). Plus, he always went back to the boys home where he spent time in his youth, to make sure they were not forgotten. I hope you get to see him in A Soldier In The Rain and The Sand Pebbles (tied with Papillion as his best films).
As a movie star, I love Steve McQueen. As a person, not so much. He was both physically and mentally abusive to his wives and girlfriends, which has been confirmed by at least two of them. Clearly McQueen was a very troubled soul with a difficult upbringing, but it's hard to get past his terrible behaviour.
@@SirHilaryManfat Hemingway was a total SOB; Tolstoy was a miserable wretch who professed a high toned Christianity but behaved like a rutting goat ; just two examples....in the pantheon of great artists McQ isn't in their class, on a personal level he at least recognized what he had done and made an attempt to show remorse.
I always liked this movie a lot, McQueen is one of my favorites. The car chase is one of the best on film, along with the french connection & the 7ups.
As always, wonderful reaction with an excellent analysis of the movie. I’m 66 years young and native Californian. I had relatives in both the Bay Area and Southern California. I saw a lot of LA and SF growing up during the 60’s and 70’s which I consider to be the last of their golden era’s. Sadly, you’ll never see SF the way you see it in Bullit.
Since this movie was filmed, Lombard Street in San Francisco has been re-graded so that it's not quite as steep, in part because so many 1970s teenagers were trying to launch their cars airborne the way Steve McQueen did
Without a doubt, you have quickly become my favorite reactor on RUclips. You are so bright, insightful and intelligent about these movies and films that I love and have had such a big impact on my life as a human. Please keep it up, I have enjoyed every vid you do.
Lots of things have changed since 1968 when I saw this in the theater. My basketball coach thought it would be a good film for the team to see the night before an important game. Didn't help. We lost. McQueen was great. Thanks for the reaction.
Director Peter Yates, an Englishman, was an underappreciated director who made a bunch of great films across several genres, including a favorite of mine-The Friends of Eddie Coyle. It's a 70s moody crime drama starring Robert Mitchum, playing a doomed, small time Boston criminal. It was shot in Boston and has that grimy 70s aura. Several scenes were shot in my childhood neighborhood, and my older brother was an extra in a scene that didn't make it to the final cut of the movie. He did meet Robert Mitchum and remembers him as a great guy.
Yates also directed the goofy heist film, "The Hot Rock", starring Robert Redford and George Segal. It's one thing for a group of thieves to steal a diamond for an African diplomat. Holding on to it? Well... Yates also directed the EMT dramedy, "Mother, Juggs and Speed", starring Bill Cosby, Raquel Welch and Harvey Keitel.
About 6 years later Steve McQueen would play a Firefighter and Robert Vaughn would play a Senator in "The Towering Inferno", also set in San Francisco.
Nice one Maddie, I think you did well on this one, especially for a first time viewing, the plot can easily become a bit complex on viewing the first time around. Did you spot Don Gordon, as his partner - one of McQueen's best friends off screen, he was also one of the central firefighters in The Towering Inferno and appeared with him in Papillon. If you liked this and the sense of corrupt irony at the end, you have GOT to watch Dirty Harry - same place, same era, it'll blow you away - oh and another top Lalo Schifrin score.
Always liked the wake-up scene where Gordon pours the orange juice and McQueen, still sitting fuzzy-headed, reaches for the glass ... and Gordon walks past and drinks it. McQueen drops his hand, slumps and shivers. The moment presents the intimate familiarity of their partnership. "Let's go, Frank".
First saw this film in 1968, when I was 17. Obsessed with cars, and movies and McQueen, and the cryptic script left me as baffled as you seemed to get at times. Probably went to see it for all the wrong reasons but have watched several times since and it is one of my favourites. Much of the hype around the movie is centred on the car chase, whereas the film is a tight tense thriller and the car chase is not central to the story. It has the overall threat seen in The French Connection, and the cold dark deeds scenes of Dr No. The car chase incidentally does have speeded up scenes, and nobody revs an engine between gear changes when changing up. e.g. from third to fourth. The casting is great, Robert Vaughan has probably his best role. For Robert Duval it was a long ride from a taxi driver to Apocalypse Now. I like your steady, real reactions.
18:49 Forensic fingerprint identification goes back to the late 1890's. 19:56 Barbra Streisand's and Ryan O'Neal's comedy film "What's Up Doc?" from 1972 has a chase scene that goes of some of the same ground. Steve McQueen used to drive race cars, but I don't know if he did his own stunt driving in this.
Almost every movie with Steve McQueen in it is a classic. Cool Hand Luke and The Great Escape and Thomas Crown Affair are highly recommended.. even The Blob is a classic of 50's horror
Robert Vaughn was also in the Magnificent Seven (1960). The Bullitt car recently (2020) sold at auction for $3.74M making it the most expensive muscle car ever. Fingerprints were 1st used to solve a crime in 1892. 1910 in the US.
This is a great movie. "You sent us to guard the wrong man, Mr. Chalmers" One of the greatest movie lines ever. I recommend "3 Days of the Condor" 1975. Robert Redford & Faye Dunaway & "The Great Santini" 1979. Robert Duvall
Great recommendation. There are so many great crime and thriller movies from the 60s and 70s, with that gritty "new Hollywood" style and those funky soundtracks. "French Connection" and "The taking of Pelham 123" are some others that comes to my mind.
Hi Madison. you are the 1st reactor I have seen react to this classic film. It was great to see you enjoy it as much as I did when I first saw it, back in the late `70`s. The actor portraying Sen. Chalmers was Robert Vaughan, who I had enjoyed watching in the `60`s Tv Series (The Man From U.N.C.L.E.). This was the next thing he did after that Series ended, you might remember he worked with Steve McQueen earlier in (The Magnificent Seven).
The movie that set the standard for ALL car chase scenes from this movie forward! It wasn't a screw driver, it was an ice pick! The gloves weren't for hiding his finger prints, they were "Drivers gloves" for being able to grip the steering wheel better (actually, this guy, Bill Hickman, was a professional stunt man who specialized in stunt driving! He did the actual driving in the movie, McQueen did a small portion of his own driving during the chase scene)! Don't feel bad, 99% of people didn't catch the body double switch of the "Ross" character until the last of the movie! GREAT reaction by you! REALLY ENJOYABLE!
The driver of the Dodge Charger was Bill Hickam, he and Steve McQueen practiced for several weeks before shooting the chase scene. Hickam also played the driver for General George S. Patton in the movie "Patton", which starred George C. Scott. Robert Vaughn, the annoying State Senator, was also in "The Magnificent Seven" with McQueen. The young Black Doctor was George Sanford Brown, he was later in a TV series called "The Rookies", about rookie policemen. Norman Fell was in the original seasons of "Three's Company" a sitcom. And of course Robert Duvall was in many, many movies, from "To Kill A Mockingbird", through "The Godfather I & II", "Apocalypse Now", all the way up to a self-Directed film called "Tango".
Greatest car chase, a little better than The French Connection chase. The greyhair guy had a ice pick, not screwdriver small correction. Great reaction.
The car chase in “Bullitt” is the best chase scene in film with “The French Connection” a close second. Number three, for me, is “The Seven-Ups,” a much under appreciated 1973 cop film, starring Roy Schneider. Interestingly, Bill Hickman was stunt coordinator and driver in all three.
One of my favorite movies. Own the DVD. You're not supposed to notice the switch from Ross to Renick. It would ruin the suspense. I think the end shows that Cathy has acknowledged that Frank has two sides and she's okay with that, so she stays. And Frank is trying to do his best to separate his two selves by putting the gun and badge aside. But they'll always be there. Georg Stanford Brown (the doctor) had a long career on TV, including a starring role in The Rookies. He was married to Tyne Daly (Cagney & Lacey) from1966 to 1990.
Another couple of comments: the hint as to why Bullitt and the doctor connect is that the doctor is black and Vaughn wants him replaced….another big issue of the times. At the theater, when the Bullitt car shows up in the bad guys rear view mirror, people applauded. Such a great shot.
Aside from being a good flick with an incredible car chase scene, I also love that there are about three smiles in the entire movie. Definitely a Dragnet-type tone in regards to the characters. Cracks me up every time I see it.
I saw this movie in the theater. The car chase in the theater made me feel like I was in the car. It actually took place on the streets of San Francisco and the doctors and nurses in the operating room were the real thing. They didn't operate on a patient but were showing what they really would do in that case.
You can't get the feeling of the hard landings unless you see it on a big screen. It actually gave a headache. It's just not the same on a home monitor.
Since this movie was filmed, Lombard Street in San Francisco has been re-graded so that it's not quite as steep, in part because so many 1970s teenagers were trying to launch their cars airborne the way Steve McQueen did
As others have noted, “The Great Escape” is another memorable McQueen film. Great ensemble cast in that one, including Richard Attenborough, James Garner, Donald Pleasance, and Charles Bronson among others. Enjoying your reaction videos.
19:39 you didn't mention the best part. You didn't notice how that was Steve McQueen not only driving in a Reverse burnout, but that wasn't even supposed to be in the movie. McQueen badly overshot the turn and had to back up and straighten up the turn. The director and McQueen thought that it was too good to throw out the footage and so they kept it in. And it's a good thing that they kept that thing in. It was McQueen at his coolest driving.
Bullitt: What are his chances? Surgeon: 50 - 50, but there's only a 10% chance of that. Robert Vaughn also starred with Steve in The Magnificent Seven. He played one of the seven gunman who lost his nerve. The Bullitt Mustang and Charger were hugely famous. From what I understand, they've both been found. There's long stories on the internet about both cars.
This film also made the City one of the main characters. It spawned other movies and TV shows like that, notably Streets of San Francisco that introduced us to Michael Douglas. Love this movie, Steve McQueen fan ❤️
Enjoyed your reaction. I was 17 and just got my driver's license when this came out and saw it numerous times at 50 cent weekend matinees just for the car chase. You have to watch the car chase on the big screen. It's an experience, it feels like you're coming out of your seat during the jumps. The Mustang recently sold at auction for 3.7 million.
Steve McQueen did his own driving in the movie. He was a real race driver in his down time. The car sold a few years age at auction for more than a million dollars. Santa
Not a screw driver. It's called an, "Ice Pick". You used to have to bust up blocks of ice to go in drinks and such. One of my favorite films. Especially the greatest car chase ever put on film. Always love the reactions. As we say in Texas; y'all be safe.
“TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD “ is another great and important movie!’ Your “GREGORY PECK”stars in it, great courtroom drama!! And you’ll be surprised by a very young mystery actor in it!!
I bought the DVD 20 years ago for the car chase. Every re-watch after that was for the outstanding photography and the unpretentious, dry storytelling, and the impeccable style of the 1960s. Steve McQueen is the epitome of cool in this movie.
Steve McQueen is one of my favorites, he had it in all his contracts that he would do all his own stunts, and the studios had it in all his contracts that while filming that he couldn't race.
I love this movie because it feels real. I have no idea how much of the police procedures are accurate, but it's not got the standard wisecracking partner, the yelling captain, and the cocky main character. It's just solid police work and a very simple yet surprisingly intricate feeling plot. It sucks you in if you are paying attention. I hate the modern films that substitute a real feel for more explosions and action. These older films work better because when something does happen, it hits like a hammer and feels more real. Must watch for police drama genre.
Steve McQueen was almost deaf. It is thought that the fact that he couldn't really hear people talking is what made him seem so aloof - which, in turn, made him seem so cool. He was known as "the King of Cool".
This movie changed action scenes forever. This was the first movie with an actual car chase through the streets. Before Bullitt, they used closed lots and cars on a soundstage with a projected screen in the background.
People tend to remember two things out of this movie: the car chase and the fax machine. I also used to have a cat who loved this movie. She wouldn't watch anything else, no interest whatsoever in television. But she would watch this movie. You could see her following the action with her eyes. I think she had a thing for Steve McQueen.
@@deadwood75 Millennials are fascinated by that thing, not only because of the size and the noise it makes, but by the fact you couldn't run it yourself. You needed an operator.
Cutest Porsche ever, I think, driven by Jaqueline Bisset's character, a 1964 Porsche 356. Also Ford put out several Bullitt spec Mustangs, 2001, 2008, 2019, with the green paint and a specially tuned exhaust that was supposed to mimic the sound of the original car. Also I'd like to strongly recommend 1956 Moby Dick with Gregory Peck as Ahab. Peck's portrayal is powerful. The entire cast gives excellent performances.
No one mentioned delectable Jacqueline Bisset. She would go on to star in everything from guilty pleasures like Airport and The Deep to high-brow flicks like Truffaut's Day for Night and Chabrol's La Cérémonie. And, note that Simon Oakland (the police captain) was the psychiatrist in Hitchcock's Psycho, a frequently reacted-to film.
Steve made a great western at the end of his life called “Tom Horn.” One of his big starring roles was “Papillon” with Dustin Hoffman as two prisoners sentenced to life in French Guiana and their attempts to escape. As another person mentioned “The Sand Pebbles” which was a huge movie in the mid 60’s.
Finally someone reacts to Bullitt! Steve McQueen the king of cool, always under control despite the circumstances. Another of my favorites Steve McQueen's movies are the The Getaway (1972) and The Thomas Crown Affair (1968).
The closest car chase to Bullit that I can remember in recent memory was in the first Jack Reacher movie with Tom Cruise but Steve McQueen's car chase in Bullit has been Absolutely Iconic!
The girl friend was played by Jacqueline Bisset. Delgetti was played by Don Gordon, who was a good friend of McQueen's & they appeared in a few films together. The car chase route was checked & it is all disjointed. You have to admit, Steve brushes up well after a tough night.
there is a youtuber that is a cop, & he says that even though it is spliced of chase from several angles..... he said match it to live car chases on news from helicopter over LA, Dallas, etc....... & if looking at it from chase car perspective (Bullitt's car) you'd think they are identical, just swap out the periferal scenery.
I had this one on VHS for years before the tape finally snapped from re-watching the chase scene over and over when I was a kid. Not seen the film in years so this was a fun reaction for me. Super cool movie, very French "New wave" inspired. The Ford motor company made a great advert in the 90's for its "Puma" model with Steve McQueen and some, for the time, innovative special effects. Its on YT, fun watch. ( I do remember the show "Alcatraz" did a remake of the chase for its last episode too ).
The cool vintage Mustang in this movie was sold to a guy in 1974 for $6,000. His wife used it as her daily driver until 1980, when the clutch gave out. They never sold the car, just moved it from garage to garage when they moved. The owner eventually passed away and his son had enough work done on it to make drivable. It was finally sold at auction in 2020 for $3.74 million.
Fantastic analysis and understanding that the movie is really not about the money or “ the organization “. Not to many people will pay to watch an examination of the modern way to keep order in society but they will pay to see action, car chases, and Steve MacQueen defining what “ cool”is! Notice the law professionals… the top of the chain is a slimy politician but will be seen as the champion of protection holding hearings to uncover the “ organization “. The press will call him tough on crime and the public will see him has their defender. The Captain is also political and all he does is be with the Senator and be on his side. He will be fine no matter the outcome. Bullitt’s direct superior has stress but he can be with his family at church. None of them have any real pressure except to keep their positions/ It’s Bullitt and his team that has to do the fighting. They are in the sewer. They will only be known when there is blame and when a case is closed, no media, no applause… just a chance to have a sleep of exhaustion and not rest. The final scene is ambiguous and left open. Bullittts’ life and job never ends and only the people will change. Death will happen tomorrow and he will have to handle whatever comes his way. Crime is shady and you have to work with a shady crowd. His girlfriend wants beauty but she does not understand that is not normal. Normal would be brutal, violent, and ugly. The only reason she and the society women at the opening can have their world is because of people like Bullitt. Sadly , the world just expects and does not care. His girlfriend got a glimpse but put the crime scene in her sensibilities and not reality. Many people can view the ending in many ways but I choose think it is a look of sad reality for a man that creates a world that is not natural. Great reaction to a movie that is more complex than you realized when you watch again .
Madison, this is going up there with the best of your reactions. You got to the gist of this film, which uses the action genre to dramatize a deeper struggle going on with the protagonist. Your final take was as cool as Steve McQueen!
I first caught this when I was about twelve and try to view it annually, and not just for the car chase. My Auntie Gloria was a film/TV actress through the 1950s to the mid-60s...she and Steve McQueen were buddies. She worked w/ him on a couple of episodes of the TV Western series, "Wanted: Dead or Alive", and he would also occasionally take her as a passenger on his motorbike.
Integrity is one of the corner stones of self-esteem, which in turn is part of the psychological defense against the trauma from the work of a police detective. Bullitt is a real hero. A lot of commonalities with Michael Mann's great film Heat.
Steve McQueen & Robert V. were friends throughout their acting careers having starting out together in the less than B movie, “I was A Teenage Caveman,” - LOL !
Well, well, well...good on you, Ms. Madison. This is an iconic film, so, great choice. It had been a while since I'd seen it and forgotten how well-made it is. Robert Vaughn, who played the politician, usually played hero roles so this was a change for him. And the car chase was so uber it was a point of reference for every car chase that came after. Loved your reaction.
Steve was such a good actor, he brought such a depth of character to each role he portrayed. One of my favorite films here, especially being a muscle car guy! The supporting cast was excellent here, so many great actors. Have two suggestions for other films with Steve; “Soldier in the Rain” & “The Great Escape”…both absolutely brilliant. For a follow-up to “Bullett”, his successor as a San Francisco PO….”Dirty Harry” with Clint Eastwood, who plays a different kind of cop. Thanks for the commentary Madison, love your breakdown.
Such a great movie, so glad your reacting to this, easily the best car chase ever, always enjoyed a Steve McQueen movie, one of the all time greats, plus he looked like someone you didn't mess with.
Even after all these years, it still gives me a chill when the soundtrack stops dead when the pursuit starts and the song of the engine takes over. Wonderful creative choice.
I always react viscerally to the seat belt clicks.
the soundtrack to this film is awesome. Lalo Schiffrin !!!
I love the 60's, pre synth movie soundtracks. 👍@CaptainAhab-im3kd
Carburetors lots of growl. One of the best car chase scenes ever filmed.
According to Schifrin, the producers wanted music for the high-speed portion of the chase, but he convinced them that the sounds of the two engines would be just as effective, if not moreso. The driving bassline (ahem) playing during the cat-and-mouse prelude to the chase ("Shifting Gears") is one of my favorite pieces of film scoring.
Stunt driving legend Bill Hickman was the guy driving the charger, he also did the stunt driving in The French Connection, also was a close friend to James Dean and was first on the scene when he died in his car accident, legend! Thanks Madison!
He was also a driver for the great car chase in "The Seven-Ups", another cop thriller was the same producer as "Bullitt".
Hickman also acted in The French Connection (unfriendly cop). He was a close friend of Steve McQueen, they were members of the US Motor Cross Team. Also an old friend to Gene Hackman. All of them were petrol heads.
Bill Hickman is also in the 1950 film, "To Please a Lady" with Clark Gable and Barbara Stanwyck. (a sprint car racing movie) I think it's his first film.
I would have given him an Oscar for best facial acting. I think his facial expressions during the chase is the best part. And a close second for buckling his seat belt
A true classic movie. One of the greatest car chases ever filmed.
Next watch "The French Connection", made by the same production team, with the goal of topping the chase scene. Bullitt made McQueen an icon. For the ovie that made him a superstar, check out "The Great Escape".
It's nice seeing the evolution of car chases. Bullitt was an update of the classic western style. Like chasing a stagecoach, just with cars instead of horses. By The French Connection it was more of a personal pursuit by someone who happened to be in a car while doing it.
Two Steve McQueen “musts” are “The Sand Pebbles,” which no reactor seems to have watched, and “The Great Escape.” “The Sand Pebbles” was the biggest movie of 1966, with eight Oscar nominations, including the only nomination that McQueen ever got for best actor. I also recommend his last movie, “Tom Horn” (1980), a western based on an actual hired gun in the Montana range wars.
Sam Peckinpah's "The Getaway" is another great one.
As a western fan, Madison, "Nevada Smith" would be another great Steve McQueen movie for you to react to.
@@byrontowles2018you were good, kid. Real good. But as long as Im around, you'll always be in second place....spoken by Edward G. Robinson.
The Sand Pebbles..... a long movie but definitely worth watching !
I'm go throw two more into the movie mix.........
Kellys Heroes ( 1970 ) 💰
Kelly ( Steve McQueen ) and his division are on a rest from the front but after he finds some interesting information they take a small trip behind enemy line$ .... ( Action Comedy Adventure )
Papillon ( 1965 ) 🦋
Steve McQueen Duston Hoffman both put in a tremendous performance in friendship that rivals Andy and Red of Shawshank Redemption. This is a top movie on any movie lovers favorites list.
I second "The Sand Pebbles". An epic film directed by Robert Wise and McQueen's only Academy Award nomination. In my opinion he deserved to win. Madison should do that one!
Robert Duvall's first role was Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockington in 1962
Seeing Duvall as a taxi driver here
- 8 years before De Niro played one -
I could see Duvall would've made
an interesting Travis Bickle.
Mockingbird, not Mockignton.
The driver was a pro, the gloves were not about fingerprints they were driving gloves. Race drivers use them for a better grip on the steering wheel and to prevent hand fatigue.
Power steering makes modern cars much easier to drive. Without it it takes much more force to turn the wheel. Might wear the skin off your hands.
The 1968 R/ T 440 Charger has power steering. Not that it's needed at speed anyway, just nicer for parking. And ,Chrysler's power steering was way too light in those days, better off without it.
Robert Vaughn was another one of the Magnificent Seven .
The Man from UNCLE...=)
No, the murder weapon wasn't a screwdriver but a thing that has gone out fashion thanks to the prevalence of ice cubes, it's an ice pick.
the murderer character was known as "Ice Pick Mike".
@@CaptainAhab-im3kd correct Schifrin's music cue is Ice Pick Mike
"Bullitt" and "24 hours of Le Mans" are my two favorite Steve McQueen movies!! The Le Mans movie doesn't have as an intricate story line but it really gives you the feeling of being at Le Mans and being in the drivers seat with the drivers and the physical toll, the changing weather, the competition!! Steve is awesome as usual!!
Le Mans
Ex-SCCA amateur racer and corner marshal here. I still claim that "Le Mans" does have a plot - but it's about the race instead of the people participating in it. I'll die on that hill! 🤣
The film is just called "Le Mans".
Ford Mustang sales skyrocketed after this movie.
And that Mustang went for $3.7 Million Dollars at Auction a couple years ago.
Actually they dropped from 64-66 to 73
@@backwoodsman5498 The movie came out in 1968.
It's funny how movies influence people when the Dodge, pedal down, was able to outrun that Mustang.
Robert Vaughn, the Senator, was a fellow member of “ The Magnificent Seven”
Napoleon Solo in The man From U.N.C.L.E.
@@LordEriolTolkien His most iconic role. Such a great show. I remember my older sister and all other teen-age girls having a crush on Illya Kuryakin (David McCallum). And to show close, circular degrees of separation, McCallum co-starred with McQueen in "The Great Escape". :)
@@alecfoster4413 I saw it as reruns about a decade later and knew McCallum from The Great Escape, which is a Great movie
@@LordEriolTolkien I saw the first broadcasts. Yeah, I'm old. :D
"You work your side of the street and let me work mine " Ballsy talk to Chalmers. Featuring a black chief surgeon in the film was a bit ahead of it's time. Steve McQueen's character Frank Bullitt drew inspiration from real San Francisco police inspector Dave Toschi. Toschi was later noted for his work in investigating the Zodiac Killer murders.
@@jamesharper3933 The surgeon was played by Georg Stanford Brown, who was a regular on the cop drama, "The Rookies". He also was an episodic TV director ("Starsky & Hutch", "Hardcastle & McCormick"). He was married to Emmy winner, Tyne Daly ("Cagney & Lacey", "Judging Amy", "The Enforcer", "Spider-Man: Homecoming").
Zodiac would be a good movie to review after The Sand Pebbles.
Oh, nice. A late 60s classic. It's sad that not more reactors watch these kind of movies. But the more happy I am that you did.
Old movies are the best.
@@barryscott8041 Not woke 💪👍
I grew up in a John Wayne/Clint Eastwood/Steve McQueen family, so I got my parents to take me to see this when it came out. The car chase was like a thrill ride on the big screen. I also loved the procedural realism of the investigation and the characterization. Films like this are why reactors should really take more of a look at groundbreaking 60s cinema.
They're all watching Marvel and Disney, it seems.......
Glad you liked it. Most modern audience would grow impatient with the pace and lack of exposition. It gets better with repeated viewing IMO.
Not many police procedurals in movies these days.
Exactly the reaction of my Gen-X nephew. Watched for the famous chase, then said of the story-line "But it's so slow!". They've grown up with microwaves, broadband and fast-food drive-throughs. He drives some DoorDash, too.
The Arrow of Time only flies forward. "Bullit", however, takes us back.
@@gemanscombe4985 Because there is so much media to consume now people aren't using it to relax to like older generations do.
It was an outing to go to the cinema, sit back in the dark, relax and let the music and just focus on the screen.
Usually you knew something was building, but later films ramp that up to be "better" than the last, meaning you get a lot more action until it's all action.
Many reactors are sitting at a desk using earbuds with other distractions around them. I don't think many get a chance to "experience" the film.
18:49 It's not about leaving fingerprints. It's for better grip on the wheel. The driver of the Charger ... black car ... is Bill Hickman. A well renowned stunt driver.
"You can't out drive Steve McQueen." Damn right. Not a huge Ford fan, but I love me that '68 fastback GT. Total icon, and a pretty good movie. Great cast. One of my happiest Blu-rays.
note that green Volkswagon Beetle in those chase scenes !!!
got an oscar for best film editing of 1968
The Mustang faded paint and all sold at the Mecam auto auction in 2020 for 3.74 million dollars, the most ever for a Mustang
One of the first mainstream movies to use the word, "Bullshit."
Appropriate use of the word, at that moment....
Joseph Strick's ULYSSES had already given us what is generally considered the first cinematic f-word. But yes, this was still noteworthy.
@@rg3388I thought Robert Altman's M.A.S.H. was the first mainstream film to use the f-word.
Thank you for reviewing a very special movie to me. I'm a 69 year old car and movie-nut who first saw Steve McQueen in "The Great Escape". But when I saw "Bullitt" at age 13 in 1968, that car chase was imprinted on my brain. I didn't understanding the portrayal of his character and overall movie the way you did, and I really appreciate you insights into how this really was a character study (based on how it ended). But I did understand that Frank Bullitt always did what he knew he needed to do, even if the authorities told him not to...and I loved that... just like I loved it when Muhammad Ali (in real life) told the US government he wasn't going to fight in Vietnam.
Fun side notes: In 2001, Ford decided to sell a "Bullitt edition" version of the 2001 Mustang GT, because so many Mustang fans were also fans of this film. And Ford did this again in 2008 and again in 2018/19. In fact, the public event Ford did to announce the 2018/19 Bullitt Mustang included the first public appearance of the original movie car, which had been finally been found. Ford had its owner meet Steve's granddaughter... a really emotional moment that's on RUclips if you look for it.
Also.. I wound up buying a 2008 Mustang GT "Bullitt" edition and joined the International Mustang Bullitt Owners Club (IMBOC), which had developed a relationship with Steve McQueen's family through its support of the Boys Republic School in Chino Hills, California (just south of L.A.). This is the reform school that Steve was sent to when he was a kid, and he credited that school with saving him from a life of crime. He supported the school once he became famous and his family still does to this day... by hosting the annual Friends of Steve McQueen Charity Car and Motorcycle Show at the school's very large campus. The sight of top-quality cars and motorcycles - including a whole lot of Ford Mustang "Bullitt"s - is a car-guy's dream come true. Plus all the money raised goes to support this really special school.
Thanks again for the great video!
As a kid car washes were always fascinating.
McQueen's Mustang that was used in the film sold at an auction in 2020 for more than $3 million.
The close up car did, the chase car was found as a bare body in Mexico it’s getting restored. The hero charger was discovered as a yellow rt, the other one was seen in a scrapyard in 1970
Great action movie... one of Steve McQueen's best ever starring films!!!
Thanks Madison. Although this is an excellent cop drama that deserves all of the accolades, the ending is sobering and personally, I think it is the reason that McQueen didn't make another and also, that he made the lighthearted "The Reivers" right after this one.
Some say that Steve was a hard a**, jealous of several other actors like Paul Newman and James Garner (which he was), but he did have a tough upbringing and served as a Marine (as well as a true hero that saved lives). Plus, he always went back to the boys home where he spent time in his youth, to make sure they were not forgotten. I hope you get to see him in A Soldier In The Rain and The Sand Pebbles (tied with Papillion as his best films).
Madison, you are about to see the best chase scene of all time. Steve McQueen actually did most of his own stunts. Including the driving. Buckle up!
Yeah, McQ really rode Yul Brynner in Mag 7. But when he was dying he contacted YB and apologized for his behavior.
his best acting in those films no doubt!
As a movie star, I love Steve McQueen. As a person, not so much. He was both physically and mentally abusive to his wives and girlfriends, which has been confirmed by at least two of them. Clearly McQueen was a very troubled soul with a difficult upbringing, but it's hard to get past his terrible behaviour.
@@SirHilaryManfat Hemingway was a total SOB; Tolstoy was a miserable wretch who professed a high toned Christianity but behaved like a rutting goat ; just two examples....in the pantheon of great artists McQ isn't in their class, on a personal level he at least recognized what he had done and made an attempt to show remorse.
I always liked this movie a lot, McQueen is one of my favorites. The car chase is one of the best on film, along with the french connection & the 7ups.
Steve McQueen's first big movie role was in the Sci-Fi/Monster movie "The Blob", from the 1950's.
As always, wonderful reaction with an excellent analysis of the movie.
I’m 66 years young and native Californian. I had relatives in both the Bay Area and Southern California.
I saw a lot of LA and SF growing up during the 60’s and 70’s which I consider to be the last of their golden era’s. Sadly, you’ll never see SF the way you see it in Bullit.
Since this movie was filmed, Lombard Street in San Francisco has been re-graded so that it's not quite as steep, in part because so many 1970s teenagers were trying to launch their cars airborne the way Steve McQueen did
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!😊
Without a doubt, you have quickly become my favorite reactor on RUclips. You are so bright, insightful and intelligent about these movies and films that I love and have had such a big impact on my life as a human. Please keep it up, I have enjoyed every vid you do.
Thanks so much, I appreciate it!🙏🏻
Lots of things have changed since 1968 when I saw this in the theater. My basketball coach thought it would be a good film for the team to see the night before an important game. Didn't help. We lost. McQueen was great. Thanks for the reaction.
I met Robert Vaughn. He was a nice man in real life.
Steve McQueen, the man most of us guys wanted to be growing up in the 60's and 70's. Well, him, and Clint Eastwood.
Great analysis of a great film! Thank you, Madison.
Director Peter Yates, an Englishman, was an underappreciated director who made a bunch of great films across several genres, including a favorite of mine-The Friends of Eddie Coyle. It's a 70s moody crime drama starring Robert Mitchum, playing a doomed, small time Boston criminal. It was shot in Boston and has that grimy 70s aura. Several scenes were shot in my childhood neighborhood, and my older brother was an extra in a scene that didn't make it to the final cut of the movie. He did meet Robert Mitchum and remembers him as a great guy.
Steve McQueen and the other producers admitted they hired Peter Yates and Jacqueline Bissett because they were cheap being British.
Yates also directed the goofy heist film, "The Hot Rock", starring Robert Redford and George Segal. It's one thing for a group of thieves to steal a diamond for an African diplomat. Holding on to it? Well...
Yates also directed the EMT dramedy, "Mother, Juggs and Speed", starring Bill Cosby, Raquel Welch and Harvey Keitel.
Yates had just directed Robbery. The car chase in that got him the gig.
For a real change of pace, Breaking Away shows the depth of Peter Yates skills.
About 6 years later Steve McQueen would play a Firefighter and Robert Vaughn would play a Senator in "The Towering Inferno", also set in San Francisco.
Two words....The Getaway. If it hasn't been reviewed already, it is a must McQueen film.
Good reaction review of this Steve McQueen classic
Nice one Maddie, I think you did well on this one, especially for a first time viewing, the plot can easily become a bit complex on viewing the first time around. Did you spot Don Gordon, as his partner - one of McQueen's best friends off screen, he was also one of the central firefighters in The Towering Inferno and appeared with him in Papillon. If you liked this and the sense of corrupt irony at the end, you have GOT to watch Dirty Harry - same place, same era, it'll blow you away - oh and another top Lalo Schifrin score.
Amen on Dirty Harry.
Always liked the wake-up scene where Gordon pours the orange juice and McQueen, still sitting fuzzy-headed, reaches for the glass ... and Gordon walks past and drinks it. McQueen drops his hand, slumps and shivers. The moment presents the intimate familiarity of their partnership. "Let's go, Frank".
A funny motion picture that uses the hills of SFO is "What's Up Doc?"
Oh, yes, What's Up Doc is so funny. It was Madeline Kahn's first movie. She's very funny.
"This man is in possession of secret government underwear!"
First saw this film in 1968, when I was 17. Obsessed with cars, and movies and McQueen, and the cryptic script left me as baffled as you seemed to get at times. Probably went to see it for all the wrong reasons but have watched several times since and it is one of my favourites. Much of the hype around the movie is centred on the car chase, whereas the film is a tight tense thriller and the car chase is not central to the story. It has the overall threat seen in The French Connection, and the cold dark deeds scenes of Dr No. The car chase incidentally does have speeded up scenes, and nobody revs an engine between gear changes when changing up. e.g. from third to fourth. The casting is great, Robert Vaughan has probably his best role. For Robert Duval it was a long ride from a taxi driver to Apocalypse Now. I like your steady, real reactions.
18:49 Forensic fingerprint identification goes back to the late 1890's. 19:56 Barbra Streisand's and Ryan O'Neal's comedy film "What's Up Doc?" from 1972 has a chase scene that goes of some of the same ground. Steve McQueen used to drive race cars, but I don't know if he did his own stunt driving in this.
Almost every movie with Steve McQueen in it is a classic. Cool Hand Luke and The Great Escape and Thomas Crown Affair are highly recommended.. even The Blob is a classic of 50's horror
Bill Hickman is my best friend's late Father. Bill was an amazing stuntman and one of the founders of the stuntman's association.
Robert Vaughn was also in the Magnificent Seven (1960).
The Bullitt car recently (2020) sold at auction for $3.74M making it the most expensive muscle car ever.
Fingerprints were 1st used to solve a crime in 1892. 1910 in the US.
This is a great movie. "You sent us to guard the wrong man, Mr. Chalmers" One of the greatest movie lines ever.
I recommend "3 Days of the Condor" 1975. Robert Redford & Faye Dunaway & "The Great Santini" 1979. Robert Duvall
Great recommendation. There are so many great crime and thriller movies from the 60s and 70s, with that gritty "new Hollywood" style and those funky soundtracks. "French Connection" and "The taking of Pelham 123" are some others that comes to my mind.
Robert Duvall & James Caan in original _"Killer Elite"_ about CIA contract operators on a mission in San Francisco (great chases Kung Fu Fighting)
She already reviewed Condor@@mrtveye6682
This car chase is one of the greatest of all time. It was filmed in real time. No camera overspeed. Definitely no CGI.
Steve McQueen 'The King Of Cool! Great movie & review!
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Madison. you are the 1st reactor I have seen react to this classic film. It was great to see you enjoy it as much as I did when I first saw it, back in the late `70`s. The actor portraying Sen. Chalmers was Robert Vaughan, who I had enjoyed watching in the `60`s Tv Series (The Man From U.N.C.L.E.). This was the next thing he did after that Series ended, you might remember he worked with Steve McQueen earlier in (The Magnificent Seven).
The movie that set the standard for ALL car chase scenes from this movie forward! It wasn't a screw driver, it was an ice pick! The gloves weren't for hiding his finger prints, they were "Drivers gloves" for being able to grip the steering wheel better (actually, this guy, Bill Hickman, was a professional stunt man who specialized in stunt driving! He did the actual driving in the movie, McQueen did a small portion of his own driving during the chase scene)! Don't feel bad, 99% of people didn't catch the body double switch of the "Ross" character until the last of the movie! GREAT reaction by you! REALLY ENJOYABLE!
Thank you, Barry! Glad you enjoyed it😊
The driver of the Dodge Charger was Bill Hickam, he and Steve McQueen practiced for several weeks before shooting the chase scene. Hickam also played the driver for General George S. Patton in the movie "Patton", which starred George C. Scott. Robert Vaughn, the annoying State Senator, was also in "The Magnificent Seven" with McQueen. The young Black Doctor was George Sanford Brown, he was later in a TV series called "The Rookies", about rookie policemen. Norman Fell was in the original seasons of "Three's Company" a sitcom. And of course Robert Duvall was in many, many movies, from "To Kill A Mockingbird", through "The Godfather I & II", "Apocalypse Now", all the way up to a self-Directed film called "Tango".
Bill Hickman, bad editing.
Greatest car chase, a little better than The French Connection chase. The greyhair guy had a ice pick, not screwdriver small correction. Great reaction.
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
When Bullitt realizes he has been followed and the music provides the tension of the thugs pursuit of him is just is thrilling
The car chase in “Bullitt” is the best chase scene in film with “The French Connection” a close second. Number three, for me, is “The Seven-Ups,” a much under appreciated 1973 cop film, starring Roy Schneider. Interestingly, Bill Hickman was stunt coordinator and driver in all three.
One of my favorite movies. Own the DVD. You're not supposed to notice the switch from Ross to Renick. It would ruin the suspense. I think the end shows that Cathy has acknowledged that Frank has two sides and she's okay with that, so she stays. And Frank is trying to do his best to separate his two selves by putting the gun and badge aside. But they'll always be there.
Georg Stanford Brown (the doctor) had a long career on TV, including a starring role in The Rookies. He was married to Tyne Daly (Cagney & Lacey) from1966 to 1990.
Brown also directed some episodic TV.
The Getaway is a great watch with Steve McQueen.
Simon Oakland was the captain. You can find him in the 70's TV series Black Sheep Squadron
Another couple of comments: the hint as to why Bullitt and the doctor connect is that the doctor is black and Vaughn wants him replaced….another big issue of the times.
At the theater, when the Bullitt car shows up in the bad guys rear view mirror, people applauded. Such a great shot.
Aside from being a good flick with an incredible car chase scene, I also love that there are about three smiles in the entire movie. Definitely a Dragnet-type tone in regards to the characters. Cracks me up every time I see it.
I saw this movie in the theater. The car chase in the theater made me feel like I was in the car. It actually took place on the streets of San Francisco and the doctors and nurses in the operating room were the real thing. They didn't operate on a patient but were showing what they really would do in that case.
You can't get the feeling of the hard landings unless you see it on a big screen. It actually gave a headache. It's just not the same on a home monitor.
Since this movie was filmed, Lombard Street in San Francisco has been re-graded so that it's not quite as steep, in part because so many 1970s teenagers were trying to launch their cars airborne the way Steve McQueen did
As others have noted, “The Great Escape” is another memorable McQueen film. Great ensemble cast in that one, including Richard Attenborough, James Garner, Donald Pleasance, and Charles Bronson among others. Enjoying your reaction videos.
19:39 you didn't mention the best part. You didn't notice how that was Steve McQueen not only driving in a Reverse burnout, but that wasn't even supposed to be in the movie. McQueen badly overshot the turn and had to back up and straighten up the turn. The director and McQueen thought that it was too good to throw out the footage and so they kept it in. And it's a good thing that they kept that thing in. It was McQueen at his coolest driving.
Bullitt: What are his chances?
Surgeon: 50 - 50, but there's only a 10% chance of that.
Robert Vaughn also starred with Steve in The Magnificent Seven. He played one of the seven gunman who lost his nerve.
The Bullitt Mustang and Charger were hugely famous. From what I understand, they've both been found. There's long stories on the internet about both cars.
This film also made the City one of the main characters. It spawned other movies and TV shows like that, notably Streets of San Francisco that introduced us to Michael Douglas. Love this movie, Steve McQueen fan ❤️
Enjoyed your reaction.
I was 17 and just got my driver's license when this came out and saw it numerous times at 50 cent weekend matinees just for the car chase.
You have to watch the car chase on the big screen. It's an experience, it feels like you're coming out of your seat during the jumps.
The Mustang recently sold at auction for 3.7 million.
Totally agree on seeing it on the big screen. It's like a rollercoaster ride.
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
Steve McQueen did his own driving in the movie. He was a real race driver in his down time. The car sold a few years age at auction for more than a million dollars.
Santa
Not a screw driver. It's called an, "Ice Pick". You used to have to bust up blocks of ice to go in drinks and such.
One of my favorite films. Especially the greatest car chase ever put on film.
Always love the reactions.
As we say in Texas; y'all be safe.
“TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD “
is another great and important movie!’
Your “GREGORY PECK”stars in it, great courtroom drama!!
And you’ll be surprised by a very young mystery actor in it!!
I bought the DVD 20 years ago for the car chase. Every re-watch after that was for the outstanding photography and the unpretentious, dry storytelling, and the impeccable style of the 1960s. Steve McQueen is the epitome of cool in this movie.
One of the first car chases and still one of the best! Thank you Madison, for tackling another great classic that few reactors have done.
The chase scene is a masterclass in tension and not a word is spoken
Steve McQueen is one of my favorites, he had it in all his contracts that he would do all his own stunts, and the studios had it in all his contracts that while filming that he couldn't race.
I love this movie because it feels real. I have no idea how much of the police procedures are accurate, but it's not got the standard wisecracking partner, the yelling captain, and the cocky main character. It's just solid police work and a very simple yet surprisingly intricate feeling plot. It sucks you in if you are paying attention. I hate the modern films that substitute a real feel for more explosions and action. These older films work better because when something does happen, it hits like a hammer and feels more real. Must watch for police drama genre.
Steve McQueen was almost deaf. It is thought that the fact that he couldn't really hear people talking is what made him seem so aloof - which, in turn, made him seem so cool. He was known as "the King of Cool".
This movie changed action scenes forever. This was the first movie with an actual car chase through the streets. Before Bullitt, they used closed lots and cars on a soundstage with a projected screen in the background.
People tend to remember two things out of this movie: the car chase and the fax machine.
I also used to have a cat who loved this movie. She wouldn't watch anything else, no interest whatsoever in television. But she would watch this movie. You could see her following the action with her eyes. I think she had a thing for Steve McQueen.
Yep, that fax machine was cutting-edge tech back then, so much better than the tele-type machine.
@@deadwood75 Millennials are fascinated by that thing, not only because of the size and the noise it makes, but by the fact you couldn't run it yourself. You needed an operator.
Cutest Porsche ever, I think, driven by Jaqueline Bisset's character, a 1964 Porsche 356. Also Ford put out several Bullitt spec Mustangs, 2001, 2008, 2019, with the green paint and a specially tuned exhaust that was supposed to mimic the sound of the original car.
Also I'd like to strongly recommend 1956 Moby Dick with Gregory Peck as Ahab. Peck's portrayal is powerful. The entire cast gives excellent performances.
You can't go wrong with this.
No one mentioned delectable Jacqueline Bisset. She would go on to star in everything from guilty pleasures like Airport and The Deep to high-brow flicks like Truffaut's Day for Night and Chabrol's La Cérémonie. And, note that Simon Oakland (the police captain) was the psychiatrist in Hitchcock's Psycho, a frequently reacted-to film.
Don't know if you noticed Madison, but Chalmes was Lee in the Magnificent Seven.
The black leather gloves were driving gloves. Men in the 1960s and 70s thought you needed them if you were a “serious” driver.
Steve made a great western at the end of his life called “Tom Horn.” One of his big starring roles was “Papillon” with Dustin Hoffman as two prisoners sentenced to life in French Guiana and their attempts to escape. As another person mentioned “The Sand Pebbles” which was a huge movie in the mid 60’s.
Finally someone reacts to Bullitt! Steve McQueen the king of cool, always under control despite the circumstances. Another of my favorites Steve McQueen's movies are the The Getaway (1972) and The Thomas Crown Affair (1968).
The sountrack of this movie is one of the best ever!
Note: doctors & nurses in the movie were REAL doctors & nurses!
The closest car chase to Bullit that I can remember in recent memory was in the first Jack Reacher movie with Tom Cruise but Steve McQueen's car chase in Bullit has been Absolutely Iconic!
The girl friend was played by Jacqueline Bisset. Delgetti was played by Don Gordon, who was a good friend of McQueen's & they appeared in a few films together. The car chase route was checked & it is all disjointed. You have to admit, Steve brushes up well after a tough night.
there is a youtuber that is a cop, & he says that even though it is spliced of chase from several angles..... he said match it to live car chases on news from helicopter over LA, Dallas, etc....... & if looking at it from chase car perspective (Bullitt's car) you'd think they are identical, just swap out the periferal scenery.
I had this one on VHS for years before the tape finally snapped from re-watching the chase scene over and over when I was a kid. Not seen the film in years so this was a fun reaction for me. Super cool movie, very French "New wave" inspired.
The Ford motor company made a great advert in the 90's for its "Puma" model with Steve McQueen and some, for the time, innovative special effects. Its on YT, fun watch. ( I do remember the show "Alcatraz" did a remake of the chase for its last episode too ).
The cool vintage Mustang in this movie was sold to a guy in 1974 for $6,000. His wife used it as her daily driver until 1980, when the clutch gave out. They never sold the car, just moved it from garage to garage when they moved. The owner eventually passed away and his son had enough work done on it to make drivable. It was finally sold at auction in 2020 for $3.74 million.
Robert Duvall's first appearance was in 1962's "To Kill A Mockingbird". A highly recommended film and a classic.
Fantastic analysis and understanding that the movie is really not about the money or “ the organization “. Not to many people will pay to watch an examination of the modern way to keep order in society but they will pay to see action, car chases, and Steve MacQueen defining what “ cool”is! Notice the law professionals… the top of the chain is a slimy politician but will be seen as the champion of protection holding hearings to uncover the “ organization “. The press will call him tough on crime and the public will see him has their defender. The Captain is also political and all he does is be with the Senator and be on his side. He will be fine no matter the outcome. Bullitt’s direct superior has stress but he can be with his family at church. None of them have any real pressure except to keep their positions/ It’s Bullitt and his team that has to do the fighting. They are in the sewer. They will only be known when there is blame and when a case is closed, no media, no applause… just a chance to have a sleep of exhaustion and not rest. The final scene is ambiguous and left open. Bullittts’ life and job never ends and only the people will change. Death will happen tomorrow and he will have to handle whatever comes his way. Crime is shady and you have to work with a shady crowd. His girlfriend wants beauty but she does not understand that is not normal. Normal would be brutal, violent, and ugly. The only reason she and the society women at the opening can have their world is because of people like Bullitt. Sadly , the world just expects and does not care. His girlfriend got a glimpse but put the crime scene in her sensibilities and not reality. Many people can view the ending in many ways but I choose think it is a look of sad reality for a man that creates a world that is not natural. Great reaction to a movie that is more complex than you realized when you watch again .
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!🙏🏻
Madison, this is going up there with the best of your reactions. You got to the gist of this film, which uses the action genre to dramatize a deeper struggle going on with the protagonist. Your final take was as cool as Steve McQueen!
Thank you, Michael!🙏
I first caught this when I was about twelve and try to view it annually, and not just for the car chase. My Auntie Gloria was a film/TV actress through the 1950s to the mid-60s...she and Steve McQueen were buddies. She worked w/ him on a couple of episodes of the TV Western series, "Wanted: Dead or Alive", and he would also occasionally take her as a passenger on his motorbike.
Integrity is one of the corner stones of self-esteem, which in turn is part of the psychological defense against the trauma from the work of a police detective. Bullitt is a real hero.
A lot of commonalities with Michael Mann's great film Heat.
All star cast in this one
Steve McQueen & Robert V. were friends throughout their acting careers having starting out together in the less than B movie,
“I was A Teenage Caveman,” - LOL !
My bad, my memory is Way Off about Steve McQueen in Caveman movie. He was in “The Blob.”
Steve M. Wanted this movie to be as real as it could be. He had real nurses and real doctors, even in the surgery room. ❤❤
Well, well, well...good on you, Ms. Madison. This is an iconic film, so, great choice. It had been a while since I'd seen it and forgotten how well-made it is. Robert Vaughn, who played the politician, usually played hero roles so this was a change for him. And the car chase was so uber it was a point of reference for every car chase that came after. Loved your reaction.
Steve was such a good actor, he brought such a depth of character to each role he portrayed. One of my favorite films here, especially being a muscle car guy! The supporting cast was excellent here, so many great actors. Have two suggestions for other films with Steve; “Soldier in the Rain” & “The Great Escape”…both absolutely brilliant. For a follow-up to “Bullett”, his successor as a San Francisco PO….”Dirty Harry” with Clint Eastwood, who plays a different kind of cop. Thanks for the commentary Madison, love your breakdown.
Such a great movie, so glad your reacting to this, easily the best car chase ever, always enjoyed a Steve McQueen movie, one of the all time greats, plus he looked like someone you didn't mess with.
When I was in eighth grade our vice principal had a connection with a producer. Two or three of my classmates got to be extras in this film.
Madison The Getaway and The Cincinnati Kid are also must watch films.Thanks for this reaction.👍🇬🇧