Film: Bullitt
Director: Peter Yates
Country: UK / USA
Released: October 1968
Runtime: 113 minutes
Genre: Film Noir
Studio: Solar Productions / Warner Bros
Influenced: William Friedkin, Michael Mann, Edgar Wright, Justin Lin, Michelle MacLaren
Right from the opening credits, we get a sense of the film's cool aesthetic, with bold, sans-serif typography that was designed by Pablo Ferro, a renowned graphic designer and film titles designer. Vertically compressed, the distinctive and modern text in the opening scenes appears over moving traffic, reflecting the contemporary, urban setting of the film and its car-centric plot. Later in the film, a nightclub scene features Meridian West, a San Francisco-based jazz ensemble who provide a live soundtrack to the on-screen events and also give the movie an authentic San Francisco vibe.
But the film has a dark heart. When the witness is killed, Bullitt takes it upon himself to investigate the case, uncovering a web of conspiracy and corruption. The plot, though simple on the surface, serves as a platform to explore larger themes of trust, duty and the moral grey areas within the justice system. The movie doesn't shy away from the moral ambiguity of its characters and their actions, exploring the muddied waters of ethics within law enforcement, where right and wrong aren't as clear-cut as one might hope. In this sense, the film is both an update of the film noir genre and also an early precursor to the 70s wave of gritty crime dramas that would similarly explore the darker, more complex aspects of policing and criminal justice.
But let's face it, Bullitt is best known for its groundbreaking car chase scene, often hailed as one of the greatest in film history. The scene, featuring McQueen in a Ford Mustang GT pursuing hitmen in a Dodge Charger through the streets of San Francisco, was groundbreaking in its documentary-style realism and intensity. It was filmed using innovative techniques, like mounting cameras on the cars and using real speeds, rather than undercranking the camera for an artificially fast effect. This approach to filming the chase was innovative for its time, and it set a new standard for action sequences in cinema.
In the same way that Kurosawa used expert editing to revolutionise action scenes in Seven Samurai, Bullitt's editor Frank P. Keller changed car chase scenes on screen forever, distilling five weeks of footage into a perfect montage and rightly winning an Oscar for his work in 1968. To shoot the footage, director Yates was assisted by Director of Photography William A. Fraker, Stunt Coordinator Carey Loftin and the drivers themselves, notably McQueen (who did some of his own driving) and professional stunt driver Bud Ekins. Ekins, who performed some of the most dangerous stunts in the movie, was a professional who worked on numerous films throughout his career, including The French Connection (1971) and Diamonds Are Forever (1971).
Yes, the film has its flaws – some may find the dialogue too terse and cryptic, while Bullitt's girlfriend Cathy (Jacqueline Bisset) is underwritten and the corrupt officials like Walter Chalmers (Robert Vaughn) are somewhat one-dimensional – but its many charms overshadow them. McQueen's stoic, professional and utterly cool performance, and the groundbreaking car chase scene made the film highly influential, establishing a new type of action hero. The movie is also notable for its realistic depiction of police work, and the attention to the procedural aspect of Bullitt's investigation and the gritty, on-location shooting style helped to establish a more grounded approach to the genre.
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