Bullitt

film by Yates [1968]

Written by Lee Pfeiffer

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Last Updated: Nov 15, 2024 • Article History

Bullitt, American action film, released in 1968, that features Steve McQueen in what many consider his definitive role. The film is also known for its iconic car-chase sequence.

Frank Bullitt (played by McQueen) is a world-weary police lieutenant in San Francisco who is tasked with guarding the mob informant Johnny Ross (Pat Renella). The assignment comes at the request of Sen. Walter Chalmers (Robert Vaughn), who is chairing the subcommittee on crime before which Ross is scheduled to testify. When Ross is mysteriously killed on his watch, Bullitt sets out to find the murderers and clear his reputation. He eventually learns that the dead man was not Johnny Ross. Instead, the real Ross (Felice Orlandi) had assumed another identity and was about to leave the country, spurring a race to the airport and a final shoot-out that leaves the mobster dead.

Bullitt’s superbly filmed car chase through the hills of San Francisco became one of the most famous and influential car chases in movie history. The film, however, has other notable features, including a multilayered plotline; stellar acting, especially by Vaughn; and an acclaimed jazz score by Lalo Schifrin. McQueen epitomized “cool” as Bullitt, and his decision to do some of the stunt driving himself gave the car chase an authenticity often lacking in films; the editing of the chase sequence earned Frank P. Keller an Academy Award. Bullitt’s car was a dark green 1968 Ford Mustang GT fastback, and it helped make the Mustang one of the most popular sports cars in the 1960s and ’70s.