Steve McQueen’s “Bullitt” is justifiably famous
for its long, crazy car chase through the up-down-up hills of San Francisco. It’s
a killer scene, even if the villain’s car pops hubcaps like the Hyrda grows heads.
Best bit: Before the chase begins, the mafia getaway driver calmly buckles his
seatbelt. Perfect detail. It sets the tension while making a literal joke of that
line in “All About Eve.” But before all that begins, we start in Chicago as a
man is hunted by assassins as truly ugly opening credits jump and ricochet on screen,
rendering the action a visual mess. Small fault. We bounce to McQueen as SFPD
detective Bullitt as he’s tasked with a court witness baby-sit job under order
from a soulless DA (Robert Vaughn). The job is tied to the failed hit we just
saw and the mob hits back successfully, leaving Bullitt racing to outwit the
bad guys and heel Vaughn’s prick. “Bullitt” works wonders far more than the
cars with its on-the-street Bay Area locales, foot chases through hospital
corridors and a bustling airport, and McQueen’s perfectly dressed no-bullshit hero, the absolute of cool. Also tops: Pre-stardom’s Robert Duvall’s cabbie. A-
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