Because Steve McQueen is "The King of Cool". That's all that should be needed to get people to watch the spectacular, and award-winning, Bullitt. But as time moves, more and more (possibly younger) people are forgetting what an impact McQueen had on film and society.
Bullitt's introduction immediately grabs the audience with William A. Fraker's innovative lighting and camera work, Lalo Schifrin's sly music, Frank P. Keller's editing, and Pablo Ferro's amazing titles. Most of all, it creates a mood that prepares you for the next one hundred and ten minutes of brilliant filmmaking.
Oddly enough, McQueen doubted his skills as an actor, but no other film proves his abilities more than his portrayal of the titular character in Peter Yates' first American film, Bullitt. Both McQueen and Director Yates were in perfect tune to the project's power of reality, something in which McQueen had an inherent gift. The pair also focused on a "show don't tell" style of filming. (The style basically uses a character's body language rather than dialogue.) Throughout the film, McQueen tells so much more through his eyes than his words, a practice that has proven to be one of the film's most powerful techniques.
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Steve McQueen as "Det. Lt. Frank Bullitt" with his 1967 Ford Mustang GT |
The commentary, well worth listening to, also gives great insight into the humble excitement of Yates towards a film that he still hails as one of his best experiences. Through his explanations of key moments, especially ones highlighting McQueen's astonishingly detailed acting, it's easy to hear the professionalism and childlike wonderment of the director.
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McQueen and Director Peter Yates |
The screenplay (written by Alan Trustman and Harry Kleiner) is unique for the fact that the main storyline (the actual case being investigated) is used as a secondary story, and switched for the main character's story. In other words, without great announcement, the story of Bullitt becomes more important than the actual case. This, at the time, was unusual, and has since become commonplace by today's standards.
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"That" car chase. |
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(left) Robert Vaughn - (right) Jacqueline Bisset |
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L-R: Norman Fell, Simon Oakland, Don Gordon, and McQueen |
For more information on Bullitt visit IMDb: www.imdb.com/title/tt0062765
TRIVIA: Steve McQueen based his character on San Francisco Homicide Inspector Dave Toschi, made famous for his work on the Zodiac killings. McQueen had a copy made of Toschi's custom fast-draw shoulder holster. This is referenced by Jake Gyllenhaal's character in David Fincher's 2007 film Zodiac.
TRIVIA: Steve McQueen based his character on San Francisco Homicide Inspector Dave Toschi, made famous for his work on the Zodiac killings. McQueen had a copy made of Toschi's custom fast-draw shoulder holster. This is referenced by Jake Gyllenhaal's character in David Fincher's 2007 film Zodiac.