Google Ads
Login | Sign Up

Bullitt (1968)

Director(s) Peter Yates
Producer(s) Robert E. Relyea
Top Genres Action, Crime, Drama, Film Adaptation, Mystery, Thriller/Suspense
More Films Directed by Peter Yates More Films from 1968 More Films from the 1960s Top Classic Movies of the 1960s

Bullitt Overview:

Bullitt (1968) was a Action - Crime Film directed by Peter Yates and produced by Robert E. Relyea.

SYNOPSIS

McQueen is a detective who senses that something is wrong behind his assignment to guard a criminal witness. This edge-of-the-seat thriller features one of the great car chases of cinematic history. Based on Robert L. Pike's book Mute Witness.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

Bullitt was inducted into the National Film Registry in 2007.

Academy Awards 1968 --- Ceremony Number 41 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best Film EditingFrank P. KellerWon
See More Oscar Winners

Bullitt BlogHub Articles:

Bullitt (1968)

By Beatrice on Feb 28, 2020 From Flickers in Time

Bullitt Directed by Peter Yates Written by Alan Trustman and Henry Kleiner from a novel by Robert L. Fish 1968/US IMDb link First viewing/Amazon Instant Bullitt: Bullshit. Fairly solid film for fans of Steve McQueen, car chases, and San Francisco. McQueen plays Frank Bullitt, a San Francisco police ... Read full article

Bullitt (1968)

By 4 Star Film Fan on Jun 21, 2019 From 4 Star Films

There was never a better city for crime pictures than San Francisco. Much of this reputation comes from Bullitt and the enduring cool of its hero Steve McQueen. He had many great films and he was a part of some truly epic ensembles including The Magnificent Seven and The Great Escape, but Bullitt is... Read full article

Bullitt (1968) Turns 50: Reflections on a New Hollywood Trend-Setter

By The Lady Eve on Oct 5, 2018 From Lady Eve's Reel Life

The TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, famously known for decades as Grauman’s, is the most historic of movie palaces world-wide, and one of the most magnificent. Famed for its lavish “Oriental” décor, its klieg light-lit Old Hollywood movie premieres, and its hand- and footprint-s... Read full article

Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Watch Bullitt (1968)

By Raquel Stecher on Aug 8, 2013 From Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog

My contribution to the TCM Summer Under the Stars Blogathon Bullitt (1968) will be showing on August 9th (Friday) 4:00 PM EST on Turner Classic Movies as part of the Summer Under the Stars Steve McQueen day. Here are my top 10 reasons why I think you should watch this fantastic film. 1. The fant... Read full article

Bullitt: Steve McQueen Plays It Cool (What Else?)

By Rick29 on May 30, 2013 From Classic Film & TV Cafe

Bullitt was not the film that established the Steve McQueen "cool quotient." Steve was displaying coolness earlier in the 1960s in movies such as The Great Escape (1963), The Cincinnati Kid (1965), and The Thomas Crown Affair (1968). Heck, his character was even known as The Cooler King in The Great... Read full article

See More Bullitt Articles

Bullitt Quotes:

[Bullitt and Delgetti have searched the luggage of Dorothy Simmons and her boyfriend]
Delgetti: No passports, no tickets.
Bullitt: Call Immigration in Chicago, have them wire Rennick's passport application, I'll get a fingerprint check on Ross.
Cathy: What will happen to us, in time?
Bullitt: Time starts now.
Bullitt: Look, you work your side of the street, and I'll work mine.
Bullitt: You sell whatever you want, but don't sell it here tonight.
Bullitt: [revealing Johnny Ross' death] I've got him downstairs, under a John Doe.
Baker: [stunned] You are sick. Smuggling a dead man out of a hospital, and now two men killed who may have had nothing to do with it?
Bullitt: The man I was chasing killed Ross.
Captain Bennett: How do you know? Did you see him?
Bullitt: Yes. He tried to nail me with a shotgun, a Winchester pump.
Baker: The radio report said the two men were burned beyond recognition. Now all he's got are two dead men. It would never hold up in court.
See More Quotes from Bullitt
Bullitt Facts
The film's famous chase scene wasn't originally in the script. In the first draft of "Bullitt", adapted from Robert L. Pike's novel "Mute Witness", Det. Frank Bullitt was a Boston policeman who ate a lot of ice cream and never solved a case. The book had originally been bought with Spencer Tracy in mind; but with Tracy's death, the property fell into the hands of Steve McQueen and Producer Philip D'Antoni. D'Antoni added the chase and changed the location to San Francisco.
The license plate on the Mustang is JJZ 109.
The director called for speeds of about 75-80 mph, but the cars (including the ones containing the cameras) reached speeds of over 110 mph. Filming of the chase scene took three weeks, resulting in 9 minutes and 42 seconds of footage. They were denied permission to film on the Golden Gate Bridge.
First major film to use the word "bullshit".
The holster worn by Steve McQueen was later put into production by Safariland leather company and is still in the line. It is known as the Klipspringer Shoulder holster.
See More Facts about Bullitt >>