Bullitt (1968)
Dir: Peter Yates
IMDb:http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062765/
This is how you make a crime movie. It's no wonder this is known as one of the best action/crime movies of all time, because just about every aspect of it is well done. The only movie I'd seen Steve McQueen in prior to this was "The Blob", and he did a good job, but didn't really stand out. In this however, he's a powerhouse. It doesn't suprise me that his nickname was the "King of Cool", he portrayed his character with a hard-edged tinge that was a delight to watch. The movie itself suprised me, I was sure I would enjoy it, but I also thought it would be tainted because of all the derivative crime flicks I've seen. It wasn't - I thought I had it figured out but was proven wrong near the third act. This film holds up incredibly well, which I guess is why it is deserving of the classic status. The jazzy soundtrack certainly lent itself to the whole "cool" atmosphere, and was very enjoyable. The car chase certainly wasn't bad either - while there have been better and faster chases done in recent years, this one is still an attention grabber if for nothing more than the setting - driving very fast over the big hills in San Francisco just looks like a hell of a rush and a whole lot of fun. I also enjoyed the ending, because now I know that the ending of Heat (one of my favorite movies) is giving a tip of its hat to Bullitt.
IMDb:http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062765/
This is how you make a crime movie. It's no wonder this is known as one of the best action/crime movies of all time, because just about every aspect of it is well done. The only movie I'd seen Steve McQueen in prior to this was "The Blob", and he did a good job, but didn't really stand out. In this however, he's a powerhouse. It doesn't suprise me that his nickname was the "King of Cool", he portrayed his character with a hard-edged tinge that was a delight to watch. The movie itself suprised me, I was sure I would enjoy it, but I also thought it would be tainted because of all the derivative crime flicks I've seen. It wasn't - I thought I had it figured out but was proven wrong near the third act. This film holds up incredibly well, which I guess is why it is deserving of the classic status. The jazzy soundtrack certainly lent itself to the whole "cool" atmosphere, and was very enjoyable. The car chase certainly wasn't bad either - while there have been better and faster chases done in recent years, this one is still an attention grabber if for nothing more than the setting - driving very fast over the big hills in San Francisco just looks like a hell of a rush and a whole lot of fun. I also enjoyed the ending, because now I know that the ending of Heat (one of my favorite movies) is giving a tip of its hat to Bullitt.
posted by will at
11:15 PM
