AND NOW, THE HARD HITTING COP NOONE MESSES WITH... MEET BULLIT

There are some films that become epitomized with certain genres. It’s a funny phenomenon that. I mean, in this kind of movie the main hero often doesn’t even need much in-depth character analysis or even establishing shots giving us information about him, because even if the face and name may change we know him well really… I can think of many examples of this phenomenon, but the one I have in mind in particular today is a certain kind of crime-thriller from the end of the ‘60s and the beginning of the ‘70s. Our hero is a moody and charismatic individual who doesn’t play by the book. His superiors are bothered by this but let him operate any way he chooses because he is a good cop and gets results. He has an unbendable sense of justice and may be either a serial womanizer or have a long-term relationship but the relationship will be without a doubt problematic. You know him well, right?
In this particular case his name is Lieutenant Frank Bullit (played by a very moody and charismatic Steve McQueen). His superiors tolerate his “not by the book” attitude, the guys he works with are loyal to the bitter end because he has earned their respect as the best in the business. So, when he is assigned as protection detail to a star witness in a major gang-related trial, Bullit reckons it’s no big deal. However, nothing is as simple as it seems, and before Bullit can say “knife”, the witness is dead and one of Bullit’s best men is in hospital, critically injured. His superiors, the prosecutor in particular is baying for blood – and Bullit’s head on a plate. Bullit, however, has only one thing in mind: finding the killers and bringing them all to justice.
Now pray don’t be discouraged by the fact that I have slightly slammed the movie in my opening statement. I mean, the fact that there are many of the same thing knocking around is testament to the fact that whatever it is hit off in the market, right? You may be additionally coaxed by the fact that back in 1968, the film won the Oscar® for Best Editing (although Best Editing does tend to attract movie buffs more than some regular Joe just looking for an evening’s entertainment). On no, without a doubt Bullit is one heck of a good cop flick. Set in San Francisco and peppered with lovely shots of the sweeping hills and old wooden houses common in those parts (back in the ‘60s at any rate), it is quite a spectacle to watch. And speaking of hills, there is of course the famous car chase. Now, this went down in history as one of the best of its kind, and for all the new technical thingamajigs we have to enhance the experience today, I have to admit, they had a point. The chase starts out pretty casually as it were, then the music accelerates as does the speed and as the cars wind up and down the San Francisco hills at what is sometimes a break-neck speed (funny isn’t it how when you say “car chase” you never really think it can mean up or down a hill but on a straight road? It’s what I visualize at any rate), strategically placed point of view shots ( shots where you see the scene directly from the eyes of the character as it were) must have given cinema-goers the impression of being on a fair-ground ride and not a film (Mom actually felt sick watching it – she could never really handle fair-ground rides…). There is nothing like a really good car-chase to get you into gear, and this one is a jewel in the crown of Bullit. Shame it doesn’t have much else to say about itself. One thing that is mentioned on the DVD cover and that does deserve praise – credit where it is due – is the film’s realism. Well think about it, if you actually were a cop trying to nail big-time mobsters, I sincerely doubt your day actually would be dotted with funny anecdotes and witty repartee that is so essential to sub-plots in such movies. No, the film is concentrated on one thing only, the main plot. But then again so is Bullit, so that actually ties in rather nicely… I guess what I am trying to say is that the film has a sort of “sparse” feel to it. But that’s all right. Bullit is a man of few words, out to get the killers. Any other kind of story would… Well, feel wrong…