Bullitt (1968)

Frank Bullitt is a lean, hard‑nosed 1968 crime thriller set in foggy, rain‑slicked San Francisco. Lieutenant Frank Bullitt is assigned by the ambitious politician Walter Chalmers to protect Johnny Ross, a mob informant whose testimony could bring down a crime boss. When two hitmen strike—wounding the witness and a fellow officer—Bullitt ignores political pressure and launches his own investigation, hunting a leak and the killers through a web of corruption, double‑crosses and street‑level danger. Watching Bullitt you’ll get a gritty, realistic police procedural anchored by a laconic, take‑no‑nonsense lead performance and a terse, suspenseful pace. The film is best known for its visceral, high‑speed car chase through San Francisco’s streets—an extended, breathless sequence of practical stunts and tight editing that still defines action filmmaking. Expect moody city atmosphere, minimal glamour, tense detective work, and a moral edge that keeps you rooting for Bullitt even as he clashes with politics and institutions. If you like terse, character‑driven thrillers with authentic action and long, suspenseful set pieces, Bullitt delivers.

Actors: Steve McQueen, Jacqueline Bisset, Robert Vaughn

Director: Peter Yates

Runtime: 114 min

Genres: Action, Crime, Thriller

7.2 /10 81 /100 7.4 /10 7.6 /10