More than just a car chase
Trevor Willsmer | London, England | 02/17/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The car chase in Bullitt may seem a bit less impressive than it once did because filmmakers have been trying to top it for the best part of four decades. More of a cat-and-mouse game than a demolition derby, its overshadowed by the film's other action setpieces - a murder in a safe house, a tense chase in a hospital and a great airport finale that Michael Mann ripped off wholesale in Heat. A beautifully constructed star vehicle for Steve McQueen at his best, it's pretty much the prototype for every Hollywood cop movie that followed, but benefits from good casting (Robert Vaughn, Jacqueline Bisset, Don Gordon, Simon Oakland, Robert Duvall), better characterisation than the norm and a low key approach from director Peter Yates that makes the highs seem a lot more effective than they should. The plot's not bad either, with Lalo Schifrin contributing a cool score and Pablo Ferra a terrific main title sequence.
The 2-disc set certainly boasts an improved transfer over the original single-disc release, but aside from Yates audio commentary, a vintage making of featurette and the trailer, the extras aren't that film specific - a good feature-length documentary on film editing and another on McQueen."
The greatest chase every filmed
Stephen S. Connaway | wichita, ks. usa | 12/23/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Steve McQueen is as always Mr. Supercool as a S.F.P.D. detective. Without the chase this movie would have never made it to the big time. As great as McQueen is in it, he was the only actor who was awake during the filming."