Bullitt (1968)

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-

Get Low (2010)

Robert Duvall gets few parts worthy of his fierce, unlimited talent. “Get Low” is worthy. He plays Felix Bush, a 1930s Southern backwoods hermit, cantankerous and so feared by locals that little boys dare each other to step foot on his property. When he hears of a former friend’s death, Bush – ill, worn out, tired of being alone and haunted by a tragedy – opts for a unique send-off: He wants his funeral held before he dies. He wants to hear stories about himself, and tell one of his own, not to the townsfolk – all are invited – but to one woman (Sissy Spacek) from his past. Duvall tears into this role with the hellfire might he had in “Network.” This is his film, and the other actors – a hilarious Bill Murray as a likely ex-con turned legit undertaker – stand back in awe. Only Lucas Black as Murray’s trainee is out of his league, but his character is written as a dull Boy Scout unsuited to the dark brushes of comedy and pain on display. Director Aaron Schneider makes his debut here, and his work – cinematography, sound, music, cast, design – feels directed by a pro. Duvall is a national treasure. A-

We Own the Night (2007)

"We Own the Night" is a strange beast. It follows two brothers, Bobby (Joaquin Phoenix) and Joseph (Mark Wahlberg), on opposite sides of the law in 1980s New York City. Bobby does drugs and works for Russian gangsters as a nightclub manager. Joseph is married, a father and New York vice cop, just like dad (Robert Duvall). Joe and dad fight for Bobby (who even has ditched his surname) to go blue, but he relents, and resents family and God. I knew exactly where the film was headed, but its journey and surprises along the way to that predetermined destination had me riveted. Chart this to the strong, bloody and honest script and direction by James Gray, who seems to know a lot about the turmoil between fathers and sons, and the acting.

Wahberg has never been better, and Phoenix is excellent as always, a true character actor who wouldn't be caught dead in "Transformers 6." Duvall has more energy here than he has had in a decade. When the three of these men are together, it feels like family, not like three guys showing up on a set pretending to love (hate) each other. The violence is relentless, and a car chase during a rain storm in the middle of the film ranks high as one of cinema's best. This film feels real with its locations, music and the depiction of the always stunning cult-like loyalty that cops have for one another. This is epic, mingling biblical and Shakespearean tales, into a small crime/family story, and it improves on repeat viewings. A-