Bullitt (1968)
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A San Francisco detective must navigate a dangerous web of mob intrigue and high-speed pursuits after a witness's protection falls apart.
The story
San Francisco police detective Lieutenant Frank Bullitt is tasked by a politically-ambitious official to guard a Chicago mobster, Johnny Ross, over a weekend. Ross is intended to be presented as a witness to a Senate subcommittee hearing on organized crime. However, the situation turns volatile when Ross is attacked by hitmen, leading to a complex investigation into the mobster's true motives and his connection to a mysterious phone call. Bullitt must navigate the dangerous streets of San Francisco, eventually engaging in a high-stakes pursuit to uncover the truth behind the mobster's actions and the identity of those trying to silence him.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After a mobster named Johnny Ross is attacked by hitmen while in protective custody, Detective Frank Bullitt discovers that Ross was actually a decoy. The real target was a man named Albert Renick, who was being used as a body double to help the mobster escape the country. Bullitt tracks a series of clues, including a mysterious phone call to a woman in San Mateo and a travel brochure for Rome. The investigation leads to a tense confrontation at the San Francisco International Airport. Bullitt eventually corners the mobster, who is using a stolen identity, and shoots him dead in a crowded terminal. The film concludes with Bullitt returning home to find his girlfriend, Cathy, who has decided to stay with him despite the dangers of his profession.
- First release year
- 1968
- Runtime (minutes)
- 113
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Peter Yates
- Writers
- Alan R. Trustman · screenplay; Harry Kleiner · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Steve McQueen · Frank Bullitt; Robert Vaughn · Walter Chalmers; Jacqueline Bisset · Cathy; Don Gordon; Robert Duvall; Simon Oakland; Norman Fell
- Genres
- crime; action; thriller
- Themes
- justice; loyalty; organized crime
- Tone and mood
- tense; gritty
- Premise and plot tags
- police procedural; car chase; mob investigation
- Source material / true-story basis
- Mute Witness by Robert L. Fish
- Reception
- The film was a critical success, praised for its screenplay, editing, music, and action sequences. It is noted for its influential car chase and is considered one of the greatest action films ever made.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 98% · scale: percentage · review count: 46
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Film Editing · 1969 · win; Academy Award · Best Sound · 1969 · nomination; Edgar Award · Best Motion Picture · 1969 · win; National Society of Film Critics Award · Best Cinematography · 1969 · win
- Production trivia
- The car chase is considered one of the most influential in film history.; The film was shot almost entirely on location in San Francisco.; The film was selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry in 2007.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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