BULLITT - Blu-Ray (WB 1968) Warner Home Video

Long on style, but fairly scant on substance, the plot to director, Peter Yates’ taut actioner, Bullitt (1968) remains perplexing to say the least. The picture marks Yates’ directorial debut in America and, in hindsight, proves he could certainly handle action, though rather awkwardly, to have finagled his way around the bits of drama, creaking forth from Alan R. Trustman and Harry Kleiner’s screenplay, loosely based on Robert L. Fish’s 1963 novel, Mute Witness. And while action star, Steve McQueen (who specifically sought out Yates to direct) was instrumental in getting this picture off the ground – indeed, his own production company, Solar Productions, under the auspices of partner, Robert E. Relyea, was footing the bills – ironically, it was the 1968 Mustang Fastback, driven by McQueen during the picture’s high-stakes chase through the streets of San Francisco, that emerged as the real star. Arguably, only a machine could have upstaged McQueen – or rather, been allowed to, as McQueen’s ego, by now, required its own zip code. Owing to his cache in the industry, McQueen found the newly amalgamated Warner Bros.-Seven Arts eager to distribute his picture – an alliance well-rewarded when Bullitt took off at the box office, earning back more than $42 million on a comparatively paltry $4 million outlay.

The character of Frank Bullitt was actually based on Frisco police inspector, Dave Toschi on who McQueen distinctly modeled his performance, right down to the ‘fast draw’ shoulder holster. Toschi, along with Inspector Bill Armstrong would garner renowned for their investigative efforts on the Zodiac Killer murders just prior to the picture’s release. And while Bullitt is, arguably, a movie about a lot more than its action set piece, the highlight undoubtedly remains the exhilarating car chase to feature McQueen extensively in the driver’s seat. Indeed, Yates’ approach to shooting this four-wheeled climactic showdown broke new ground and set a very high standard in Hollywood, soon to be aped, adopted and ultimately outdone in its stunt work elsewhere. Just shy of 11-mins. Frank Bullitt cuts loose, peeling out of Fisherman’s Wharf in hot pursuit of his suspects, speeding past Coit Tower and other Frisco landmarks, culminating in dangerous game of chicken to end in a fiery explosion on the Guadalupe Canyon Parkway in San Bruno Mountain near Brisbane – a route, impossible to cover in real time. Two Ford Mustang GT Fastbacks, heavily modified to endure the physical abuse, were supplied by the Ford Motor Company as part of a promotional agreement. Ford also offered the production a pair of Galaxie sedans, only to discover the cars were too heavy to become momentarily airborne during the jumps. Instead, the production utilized a set of Dodge Chargers, with mildly upgraded suspension to rival the demands of the stunt work.

McQueen, whose hobby was stock car racing, and, at the time, was actually considered a world-class driver, drove a remarkable stretch during this chase sequence, the scenes orchestrated by stunt coordinator, Carey Loftin, stuntman and motorcycle racer, Bud Ekins, and McQueen's substitute, Loren Janes, who ultimately performed the most harrowing bits. Ekins had, in fact, doubled for McQueen’s motorcycle jumps on 1963’s The Great Escape. In the offending Dodge Charger was stunt driver, Bill Hickman, who also played one of the hitmen and was largely responsible for the choreography in this sequence. And while cinematographer, Billy Fraker was often cited for this sequence’s success, Fraker magnanimously deferred such compliments to the picture’s editor, Frank P. Keller who was able to save the flubbed and costly misfire, set off when an out-of-control Charger tripped a wire and prematurely detonated the explosion – Keller’s simple juxtaposition of the images inferring a reverse shot, thus saving the production a lot of time as well as the huge expense of having to re-do everything from scratch.

Bullitt opens with an arranged meeting between small-time hood, Johnny Ross (Pat Renella) and his brother Pete (Victor Tayback). Seems our Johnny has made rather a bad enemy of Pete’s Chicago ‘outfit’. The next morning, SFPD detective Lieutenant, Frank Bullitt (Steve McQueen) and his team, Delgetti (Don Gordon) and Stanton (Carl Reindel) are tasked by Senator Walter Chalmers (Robert Vaughn) to stand guard over Ross until he can provide eye-witness testimony to a Senate subcommittee on organized crime the following Monday. Alas, the safe house – a seedy room at the Embarcadero, is discovered by the mob. While Stanton is on the phone with Bullitt, informing him of an impromptu visit supposedly by Chalmers and ‘a friend’, Ross unwittingly unlocks the door, allowing hitmen to stage their daring assault. Stanton takes a bullet in the leg. But Ross gets it in the neck. Barely surviving the ordeal, he slips into a fatal coma and is rushed to hospital where he dies of his wounds. Chalmers blames Bullitt for the screw-up. Only now, Bullitt elects to play a dangerous game of cat and mouse, ordering the hospital to falsify its records and maintain Ross is still alive - barely. To further conceal the cover-up, Ross’s body is marked as a John Doe and sent to the morgue. Through an informant, Bullitt learns Ross embezzled millions from the Chicago Outfit. Bullitt also learns Ross made a long-distance phone call to a motel in San Mateo.

While on route to investigate the motel, Bullitt becomes acutely aware he is being tailed by two hitmen. Leading the pair on a perilous chase through the streets of San Francisco, Bullitt eventually forces the offending vehicle off the road. The hitmen lose control and are killed in a fiery explosion near a fill station. Now, Bullitt and Delgetti are confronted by their superior, Captain Sam Bennett (Simon Oakland), Chalmers, and, SFPD Captain Baker (Norman Fell). Served with a writ of habeas corpus, Bullitt begrudgingly reveals Ross has died. Ignoring the writ, Bennett allows Bullitt to track down Ross’ long-distance phone call in San Mateo. As his car is in no condition to make the trip, Bullitt bums a ride off his girlfriend, Cathy (Jacqueline Bisset). However, at the motel, Bullitt finds the remains of a woman garroted in her room. Horrified by the scene, Cathy challenges Bullitt to retire from the force. She wants an ordinary life, far from the daily dangers of his chosen profession. Examining the victim's luggage, Bullitt and Delgetti find traveler’s checks and a brochure for Rome in the names of Albert and Dorothy Renick. Bullitt requests their passport applications and is startled to discover Chalmers assigned him to guard a doppelgänger, Albert Renick (Felice Orlandi), a used car salesman deployed as a decoy, while his wife, Dorothy was supposedly tucked safely away in a motel in San Mateo. Bullitt now realizes Ross was playing Chalmers for a fool so he could slip out of the country undetected. Delgetti and Bullitt arrive at San Francisco’s International Airport, in search of the real Ross, who has switched to an earlier London flight with his ticket for Rome. The plane ordered back to its terminal, and, realizing his perfect plan has derailed, Ross escapes through the rear cabin door, hurrying into a crowded terminal where he murders a deputy sheriff before being gunned down by Bullitt. A disgusted Chalmers surveys the carnage without saying a word. Sometime later, Bullitt returns to his apartment, discovering Cathy fast asleep in his bed. Clearly, she has changed her mind and will stay with him no matter what his decision is regarding his future career.

Bullitt is a fairly engaging police procedural drama. Undoubtedly, what is best remembered about Bullitt today is the aforementioned car chase – perhaps not the most aesthetically sound reason to recommend a movie as a whole – yet in Bullitt’s case, a recommendation, well deserved. Need another reason? Steve McQueen, who plays his hand with equal portions of compassion and ‘harder than nails’ raw determination. McQueen’s particular brand of male machismo is actually quite unique. He is the anti-hero’s hero, struggling to justify his hunches when no one seems even interested in championing his cause. And, to be certain, McQueen used this deeply cultivated public persona, presenting himself as a tough (he trained daily with weights and ran 5 miles) and aloof loner to the world, to mask nagging insecurities inculcated in him as a child and young man. Arguably, his prowess with the ladies – dating Gia Scala, wed to Neile Adams, who still considers McQueen her best friend, actress, Ali MacGraw, and, Barbara Minty, carrying on an affairs with Barbara Leigh, Lauren Hutton and Mamie Van Doren – were merely another means to create this ‘butch’ smoke screen from beneath which the real Steve McQueen could never be allowed to entirely emerge. As time wore on, McQueen’s demons would eventually get the better of him. He was deeply troubled by the loss of his friend and martial arts mentor, Bruce Lee, and always carried a pistol on his person after it was later discovered that, among the personal effects of Charles Manson, his named appeared on a hit list of celebrities to be murdered by the cult.  So, McQueen’s personal investment in Bullitt was perhaps most genuinely felt. The rest of the performances in the movie pale by comparison, likely due to McQueen’s ego-driven efforts to ensure he remained unquestionably its ‘star’. In the end, McQueen could breathe a sigh of relief. He was the biggest name above the title, and the picture’s monumental success ensured he would remain a force to be reckoned with in the Hollywood community for the foreseeable future.

Warner Home Video’s Blu-Ray is not altogether a satisfying experience. We will assume the studio went to no further lengths to remaster the image for Blu-ray, but rather relied upon the digital files already culled for Bullitt’s DVD release, simply transferring the data over to hi-def. There are, undeniable improvements to be had – better resolved film grain, a slightly more refined image, with improved detail and marginally more fully-saturated colors. But honestly, you really have to look for these betterments. But the grain structure on Bullitt still seems off. The image ought to have a stronger presence of grain indigenous to its source. But what’s here is just clumpy and occasionally, even smooth, suggesting some untoward DNR applied. As for colors, they possess a dated characteristic with pasty orange flesh tones. Contrast is anemic, so low-lit scenes really suffer from blandness. The audio is Dolby Digital 2.0, with all the inherent sonic limitations one might expect. What is most impressive are the extras: two feature-length documentaries; one on McQueen, the other, a critique of film editing presented in 1080p – The Cutting Edge. Bottom line: Bullitt is a movie that harks all the way back to the beginnings of the ‘new’ Hollywood style that would launch action sequences as we know them today. The movie as a whole doesn’t hold up nearly as well, and this Blu-ray left me wanting for a better remastering effort. Bottom line: recommended with caveats.  

FILM RATING (out of 5 - 5 being the best)

3.5

VIDEO/AUDIO

3

EXTRAS

4.5