All the great movie stars have one thing in common, one picture, that despite the greatness of all the rest, leaves their legacy. James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause, Errol Flynn in Robin Hood, MArlon Brando in On the Waterfront, Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest, I can go on... Bullit (1968) is Steve McQueen's legacy. It is the movie so many people remember him for. It was as close as he ever came to playing himself. I believe it is truly one of the greatest on screen performances ever filmed. Any actor with dreams of becoming a movie star should watch McQueen in this picture over and over again. McQueen plays Bullit, a San Francisco detective who is put in charge of a mob snitch who has agreed to testify against is former bosses, which naturally makes him a target. Things go askew when two men burst into the hotel room where he is staying, and blow him away. They also kill one of McQueen's men. Pressure from his captain, and a local political candidate looking to make a name for himself, Walter Chalmers (Robert Vaughn, who always played a great bad guy) The rest of the film is all McQueen. He single handedly tracks down the killers, and of course, there is the magnificant car chase (still the best ever filmed by the way) that ends in a chase through the San Francisco airport. One scene always stands out for me. It's the scene early on, when we see Bullitt eating dinner by himself in his small apartment. He is a man who is truly alone. McQueen was always best when he played the loner. The man who could do anything. He plays it to perfection here. He probably only has fifty or so lines in the entire film, but it's more than he needs. I am still surprised to this day that he did not recieve an oscar nomination for what I believe is his best work... If you want to see a star at the top of his game, and a great movie, give Bullitt a try, you will not be disappointed...
Review of Bullitt
