"Bullitt" is arguably the defining moment of Steve McQueen's acting career, so it's hard to imagine that he actually had to be talked into doing it. The film was made at a time when cops were routinely referred to as 'pigs', and McQueen felt that his fans might turn on him for taking on such a role. However the actor decided to play the part against type, not as a clear cut cop, but as his own man with his own rules and sense of integrity. He also did a lot of it silently, using a face that revealed his emotions instead of wasting a lot of useless dialog.
As for the action scenes, macho man McQueen insisted on doing all the driving for the now famous car chase scene himself. However wiser heads at the studio weren't about to lose McQueen's star power due to an untimely accident, so for a particularly intense portion of the shooting, a stunt man was used on a day when McQueen overslept and didn't make it to the set on time. If you're watching the movie and can't see the driver, take note of the car's interior mirror. If it's visible in the scene, McQueen's doing the driving; if not, then it's stunt man Bud Eakins. (Source for the above is writer Marshall Terrill in his book "Steve McQueen").
What bothers me about the picture is the whole business with the surrogate Albert Rennick standing in for mobster Johnny Ross (Pat Renella) who's set to testify in front of a Senate committee against 'The Organization'. It doesn't make sense to me that Rennick would have willingly involved himself to stand in for a known gangster. There's also the convoluted involvement of the cab driver (Robert Duvall) taking note of the real Johnny Ross making calls from a phone booth. What would have made it so interesting that he would note that a lot of coins were used to make a long distance call? I guess I could re-watch the movie but I'm not so sure that would clear things up enough for me.
For me then, it's not so much the story as it is watching Steve McQueen go through his motions as the 'King of Cool'. He originally caught my eye when I was just a kid watching "Wanted: Dead or Alive" with my Dad, and ever since I've kept a sharp eye out for bounty hunter Josh Randall wherever he showed up. Trading in his horse for a Cobra Mustang in "Bullitt" was a cool way to go.
As for the action scenes, macho man McQueen insisted on doing all the driving for the now famous car chase scene himself. However wiser heads at the studio weren't about to lose McQueen's star power due to an untimely accident, so for a particularly intense portion of the shooting, a stunt man was used on a day when McQueen overslept and didn't make it to the set on time. If you're watching the movie and can't see the driver, take note of the car's interior mirror. If it's visible in the scene, McQueen's doing the driving; if not, then it's stunt man Bud Eakins. (Source for the above is writer Marshall Terrill in his book "Steve McQueen").
What bothers me about the picture is the whole business with the surrogate Albert Rennick standing in for mobster Johnny Ross (Pat Renella) who's set to testify in front of a Senate committee against 'The Organization'. It doesn't make sense to me that Rennick would have willingly involved himself to stand in for a known gangster. There's also the convoluted involvement of the cab driver (Robert Duvall) taking note of the real Johnny Ross making calls from a phone booth. What would have made it so interesting that he would note that a lot of coins were used to make a long distance call? I guess I could re-watch the movie but I'm not so sure that would clear things up enough for me.
For me then, it's not so much the story as it is watching Steve McQueen go through his motions as the 'King of Cool'. He originally caught my eye when I was just a kid watching "Wanted: Dead or Alive" with my Dad, and ever since I've kept a sharp eye out for bounty hunter Josh Randall wherever he showed up. Trading in his horse for a Cobra Mustang in "Bullitt" was a cool way to go.