Movie Review: Bullitt

This is my 100th movie review in LostLifeFound. It's kind of hard to believe that I've watched that many movies. I think it comes out to about 2.5 movies per month. Before marriage, I was kind of a casual movie watcher, very rarely watching them, and strictly for entertainment. Now, it has become more of a hobby. I see movies as works of art, because they really are. Something that looks simple on screen often has taken a lot of planning and thought in the background. Something that looks difficult on screen has taken a ton of money and even more time. So that is, in the end, really entertaining to watch.

I heard about this film while watching the special features of The French Connection. They were talking about how the French Connection succeeded in outdoing the car chase scene of Bullitt.

So when Courtney went out of town for CHIC, I was looking for movies that I'd like to see that she wouldn't like to see. So I picked up this Bullitt.

Basic premise: A detective (Bullitt, played by Steve McQueen) is asked to protect a special witness to a trial, and the Chicago mob is trying to kill the witness. There is a politician that is putting pressure on the cops to protect his star witness. So it's kind of a suspenseful movie where the mob is trying to sneak around and kill people, and the good guys are trying to sneak around to protect themselves. Then there is a car chase scene where they finally meet each other.

In the end, the story does not make a ton of sense. But it is still enjoyable. Bullitt's girlfriend, played by Jacqueline Bisset, doesn't move the plot along at all, but is just there to personalize Bullitt. The politician is completely inhuman and only cares about his power. He threatens to slander the cops if they don't protect the witness.

The late 60s sound track was fun...with the jazzy orchestra type of music that adds to the suspense.