In my mind, most car movies fit within three main categories. First, there are the road movies; those flicks which tell a story of the mad, frenetic rush to a destination. Next up are the race movies; accounts of true events which played out on the track for the entertainment of roaring crowds. Finally there are the chase movies; films which contain some breathtaking high speed action between hunter and hunted, predator and prey. It’s undeniable that all of these types of movies have a strong cinema following, becoming more and more popular with each passing year.
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Some, like ‘Drive’ and ‘Senna’, are sure-fire future classics which have emerged from obscurity to take the limelight. Others, such as the ill-fated ‘Getaway’, fell far short of the mark for critics and audiences alike. The ‘Fast and Furious’ franchise continues to forge ahead, with a seventh, eighth and ninth instalment planned despite the tragic death of Paul Walker, while audiences have been able to whet their appetites for it early with ‘Need for Speed’, a title inspired by the video game series and starring Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul.
This article, along with a couple more to be published in the coming days, counts down some of the greatest car chase movies of all time and attempts to explain why they have been so successful. The subject of this post? My old favourite – Bullitt. There are of course many, many more great titles out there aside from those which I have picked though, so if you have a particular favourite please leave a comment – who knows, it could be the subject of the next post!
‘Bullitt’ could have been a mediocre cop flick filmed in a documentary style, with very little else of note to elevate it above its peers. But it wasn’t. Two crucial elements allowed it to rise above the rest; the first was the casting, with Steve McQueen giving Lieutenant Bullitt a cool, calm attitude which shone out from the screen and Robert Vaughn playing the part of the intelligent and eloquent opportunist (if not a villain) in a manner which gave the character a very unique appeal. The second element was the often imitated – albeit never successfully – car chase between the bad guys’ Dodge Charger R/T and Bullitt’s Ford Mustang GT390.
The film opens with the soft percussion and haunting saxophone of Lalo Schifrin’s score, which underpins much of the movie aside from the chase scene itself (during which it is noticeable by its absence). The title and leading players’ names are displayed in the blocky font now synonymous with the movie, so much so that Ford even used it on their cars when they built the 2008 Bullitt anniversary edition. The action starts only seconds in as hit men from the Chicago ‘organisation’ shoot out the windows of a police building in an attempt to kill one of their own who has turned state’s evidence. The man escapes and heads for San Francisco, which is where he first meets the man charged with protecting him for forty eight hours until his testimony can be heard.
A simple man with simple tastes, Bullitt’s introductory scene sees him lying in bed in his pajamas, waking to the sound of another Detective, Delgetti, buzzing his door. With visible reluctance Bullitt lets him in and Delgetti quickly helps himself to a glass of orange juice before asking his superior officer a hundred and one questions about the content of the day’s newspaper. It’s a great scene to introduce and showcase Bullitt’s attitude, culminating in his classic line “Why don’t you relax, drink your orange juice and shut the hell up Delgetti?”
The rest of the plot is difficult to describe without giving away too many potential spoilers, however suffice to say that it has enough twists and turns to keep the viewer interested, albeit with an unexpected conclusion… However, the real reason that this film has acquired such a following is its automotive set piece. The Charger and the Mustang are already featured together in an earlier scene, parked on opposite sides of the street as if to measure each other up before the main bout. Approximately an hour in to the movie’s running time, it happens. Bullitt slides in behind the wheel of the Highland Green Ford, only to discover two of Chicago’s mobsters pulling up nearby in their sinister high powered B-Body. He wastes no time in leading them through San Francisco’s twisting side streets, using his guile to lose them before appearing in their rear view mirror. It’s one of the most iconic camera shots of twentieth century cinema – the chase is on.
The tense score rises as the Charger pulls up at a stop light and its driver, played by stunt driver Bill Hickman, fastens his lap belt tight across his abdomen. A tense pause and a deep breath later he lights up the Dodge’s rear tyres, making a dash for one of the city’s famous hills. The music stops and the audience are thrown into the action as if riding in the back seat and being pushed into the vinyl by the g forces. Many of the camera shots are from inside the cars, over the shoulders of the drivers as they hurl their vehicles down steep descents or around tight bends. Stunt driver Bud Ekins doubled for McQueen for some parts of the chase (he also jumped the motorbike in ‘The Great Escape’ (1963)) but for the most part it is the man himself who is behind the wheel, another factor in keeping the audiences glued to the screen.
Featured throughout the chase are several elements which have now become synonymous with ‘Bullitt’, from the reappearing green Volkswagen Beetle to the Charger’s endless supply of hubcaps, but these do not detract from the chase; in fact they have become as much a part of it as Steve McQueen himself. As the chase continues, the fear on the faces of the villains becomes more and more apparent, while Bullitt keeps his head. The pursuit lasts for several minutes and culminates in a substantial amount of property and vehicle damage for which Bullitt is held responsible by his Captain when the dust settles. His response? “Here’s the paperwork.”
Whether it is for its memorable characters, its realistic portrayals of medical and police procedures (many of the extras were real nurses and police officers) or its chase, ‘Bullitt’ will always be must-see viewing and it is for this reason that it deserves a place on every car lover’s film list.
J D SIMPSON 