Rating of
3/4
"Bullitt" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 02/27/12
When the state's witness against the mob he is assigned to protect is assassinated, Lieutenant Frank Bullitt refuses to hand the investigation over to self serving politician Robert Vaughn. Despite his absurdly macho name, Frank Bullitt is not the trigger happy tough guy you'd expect; more the strong, silent type, Steve McQueen oozes charisma as one of the archetypal maverick cops that redefined the entire genre. Peter Yates' direction is as stoic and attentive to detail as Bullitt's investigation and the seminal car chase through the streets of San Francisco featuring McQueen's iconic green Ford Mustang has passed into legend. It is not without its flaws; although very nice to look at, Jacqueline Bissett's love interest is cliched and rather unnecessary and the film inexplicably reveals the plot twist to the audience ten minutes before McQueen discovers it, but as stylish cop thrillers go, this is pretty much timeless and worth it for Lalo Schifrin's superb score alone.
