It was his first US film. Yates had started out as a TV director noted for The Saint TV Series (1962–1969) and Danger Man (original title) known in the US as Secret Agent Man (starring Patrick McGoohan) TV Series (1964–1967).
Yates was tapped for the job at the request of star Steve McQueen. McQueen had screened Robbery (1967). It was Yate's first film. A film that in it's opening sequences depict the robbery and a very stylistic and exciting high speed getaway through the streets of London using 1966 Jaguar MK 2s. You can see the genesis of the iconic car chase in Bullitt. I'm sure it gave McQueen a jonze to do something similar.
Yates later helmed The Friends of Eddie Coyle, and stuff as diverse as Breaking Away to 1983's The Dresser.
What makes Bullitt a masterpiece is the paella of talent present.
Bullitt was written by Alan Trustman and Harry Kleiner. They based their screenplay on Robert L. Fish's novel Mute Witness which Fish wrote under the pseudonym of Robert L. Pike. The novel BTW interestingly takes place in New York City with the crooked witness in the novel coming from the West Coast. In the film the witness is coming from Chicago to the West Coast to testify.
The film showcases the cool jazz music of Argentinian born pianist of Lalo Schifrin known for The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Mission Impossible TV series among others and films Once a Thief, Coogan's Bluff, Cool Hand Luke, Dirty Harry, and Mission: Impossible (1996).
The amazing stunt car driving by Steve McQueen, and veteran stunt drivers Carey Loftin, Bud Ekins, Loren Janes, the great Bill Hickman also driver in The French Connection and The Seven-Ups.
The actors along with Steve McQueen, include Jacqueline Bisset, Robert Vaughn ((Mike Hammer TV Series (1958–1959), The Man from U.N.C.L.E. TV Series (1964–1968, The American Side), the destined for future greatness Robert Duvall, late Classic Film Noir vet, Simon Oakland (I Want to Live!, Psycho, and The Night Stalker TV film and later series), and Norman Fell (The Violators (1957), Ocean's 11 (1960), The Killers (1964), Catch-22 (1970), Charley Varrick (1973)). The final character is 1968 San Francisco.
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| Frank Bullitt (Steve McQueen) |
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| Captain Bennet (Simon Oakland) |
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| Delgetti (Don Gordon) |
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| Bullitt and Chalmers (Robert Vaughn) |
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| Baker (Norman Fell) and Chalmers |
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| Cathy (Jacqueline Bisset) |
So here's the low down.
Walter Chalmers (Vaughn) a politico, oozing sleaze, has a star witness Johnny Ross a bent Chicago mobster, that he's gonna showpiece at a big Senate subcommittee organized crime shindig being held in San Francisco. Chalmers wants Ross put in protective custody under Frank Bullitt (McQueen) a notorious hard as nails SFPD detective and his crack team of Delgetti (Don Gordon) and Stanton (Carl Reindel). They take Ross to a seedy dive hotel that was specifically chosen by Chalmers.
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| dive hotel |
It's 1:00 AM. It's Stanton's shift. He gets a call that Chalmers is coming up to speak with Ross. Stanton calls Bullitt to check in. While Stanton is distracted on the phone, Ross unlocks and unchains the door.
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| shotgun |
Instead of Chalmers, two hitmen crash open the door and the one with a sawed off automatic shotgun (Paul Genge) shoots both Stanton and Ross with double aught buckshot. The two hitmen split. However they were sloppy. The hit is not successful for both Stanton and Ross are still alive but barely.
Instead of Chalmers, two hitmen crash open the door and the one with a sawed off automatic shotgun (Paul Genge ) shoots both Stanton and Ross with double aught buckshot. The two hitmen split. However they were sloppy. The hit is not successful for both Stanton and Ross are still alive but barely.
Chalmers is understandably upset. However while riding in the ambulance with the wounded Stanton, Bullitt learns from him both what the hitmen looked like, and that it was Ross that unlocked the door to let them in. WTF. It was a setup and Bullitt suspects something fishy is going on with Chalmers.
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| in the ambulance |
Later, Bullitt is at the hospital guarding Ross and worried about Stanton. Bullitt is alerted by hospital personnel when a stranger matching the description he got from Stanton, was asking the whereabouts of the gunshot victim Ross. Bullitt foils another attempt on Ross chasing the hitman down through the hospital and into the basement. The hitman gets away.
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| The hitman (Paul Genge) |
Meanwhile Bullitt begins backtracking Ross' movements before he voluntarily went into police custody. He does that by using Sunshine Cabs. Weissberg (Robert Duvall) is the cab driver who picked up Ross from the airport. Bullitt has him re-drive the route and Bullitt asks him to remember everything Ross did. Bullit finds out that he made two phone calls from a pay phone and that one of those calls was long distance.
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| Cab driver Weissburg (Robert Duvall) |
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| stooley |
Bullitt gets in his 68 Mustang. He spots a suspicious car in his rear view. A 68 Dodge Charger is tailing him. Stepping on the gas Bullitt quickly is able to circle around the block and is now tailing the two hitmen. As soon as the hitmen notice Bullitt behind them the iconic benchmark chase sequence up and down the hills of San Francisco begins.
The Chase
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| The 68 Mustang |
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| The 68 Dodge Charger |
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| airborne |
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| airborne |
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| airborne |
It all goes Noirsville when Bullitt discovers that the body in the morgue is just a Ross look-a-like and Chalmers is in on the switcheroo for a cut of the dough.
Noirsville
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| tailfins |
Bullitt is considered one of the 1000 best movies ever made. Screencaps from TCM cablecast 10/10
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