Bullit Movie Review

Bullit (1968)

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Written by: Alan Trustman and Harry Kleiner (screenplay), Robert L. Fish (novel)
Directed by: Peter Yates
Starring: Steve McQueen, Jacqueline Bisset, Robert Vaughn, Robert Duvall
Rated: PG [PG-13]
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Plot
An all-guts, no-glory San Francisco cop becomes determined to find the underworld kingpin that killed the witness in his protection. 

Verdict
I found this to be a slow grind except for the car chase, which does live up to expectations, but I appreciate that this movie doesn't hold your hand and avoids exposition. Most movies feel like a presentation to a viewer, with this one it feels like catching a glimpse of something that actually happened. It's a bit of a challenge because you need to pay attention, but that's also the draw.
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Review
This is a gritty cop movie that doesn't hold your hand. There isn't a way in like the typical trope of a cop explaining everything they do to a rookie. In this slow burn drama, not much happens in the first hour. Bullit is trying to track down hit men that killed a witness.There's a bit of characterization for Bullit, but this movies slowly. I'm here for the car chase, and still waiting on that.

Steve McQueen plays Bullit.

The draw of this movie is the car chase, hailed as one of the best. It's really good and lives up to the hype. The only movie I can think that could match it is Ronin (1998). The camera angles, POV shots, and the ambient noise all draw you in to the chase. The only soundtrack is to introduce the chase.

This movie is a grind, but at the end I really like how this movie just happens. We get a glimpse of it, but it never felt like the movie was for the viewer in that the movie doesn't explain everything. It never talks down, and many movies feel obligated to explain everything. McQueen stated they didn't want to be a theatrical film, but to film reality. From procedure to dialog, he succeeded in that.