Bullitt earned its reputation for Steve McQueen’s lengthy car chase through the hills of San Francisco, and the sequence does have a gritty, low-tech authenticity. Yet there’s more to the movie than squealing wheels. A crime picture embroiled in the detail work of law enforcement, the film stars McQueen as the definitive workaholic cop. His Det. Lt. Frank Bullitt is put in charge of a seemingly routine witness-protection case that unveils a larger conspiracy. McQueen’s grumpy charisma is refreshing in an age of preening stars, while Jacqueline Bisset has surprising resonance as the purposefully peripheral love interest. And as a bonus, the cab driver with the key to Bullitt’s case is played by a young Robert Duvall.
