7.5 | / 10 |
Users | 3.9 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.6 |
San Francisco cop is determined to find the underworld kingpin that killed the witness in his protection.
Starring: Steve McQueen (I), Robert Vaughn, Jacqueline Bisset, Don Gordon, Robert DuvallDrama | 100% |
Crime | 84% |
Film-Noir | 34% |
Thriller | 31% |
Mystery | 7% |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps)
French: Dolby Digital Mono
Spanish: Dolby Digital Mono
English is Dolby Surround; Both Mono sounds are 192kbps
English, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 2.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
I’m going to make a bold prediction here. In one hundred years, when the earth has exhausted its petroleum resources and we’re all driving hydrogen-powered flying cars, oil-punk will replace steampunk as the sci-fi genre that most glorifies our industrial past. When this happens, mark my words, Bullitt will be viewed as a cult fetish in the same way that steam aficionados adore Jules Verne, and Steve McQueen will be the movement’s mythologized Captain Nemo, forever perched behind the wheel of his iconic Ford Mustang. I’m calling it now, so start writing your oil- based, alternate-past fiction while the genre is hot. For reference, along with Mad Max and American Graffiti, you’d be wise to examine Bullitt, the prototype for tire squealing, muscle-car cool.
For some reason, I never warmed to Bullitt's 1.78:1 1080p VC-1 transfer. While it's certainly serviceable, and likely the best that the film will ever look, the first act gave me a minor headache. Black levels are overwhelming at times, and I found myself squinting in vain to make out details that simply aren't present in the prevalent shadows. Contrast, especially in the earlier outdoor scenes, is much too hot—the sky comes across as a blinding white while the actors faces are cloaked in shade, a balancing issue that could've been easily remedied by some subtle fill lighting. Realism is what Steve McQueen sought in this film, however, and Director Peter Yates employs verite cinematography that has little use for carefully constructed lighting schemes. The film is awash in heavy, but not distracting grain, and on the whole is far softer than it is sharp. Colors are generally strong, however, if a bit oversaturated, and the clarity of the game- changing car chase is better than ever.
For a film that should throttle and growl with a thick automotive rumble, Bullitt's Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo track whines as its audio engine tries desperately to turn over and engage. It's a listenable mix, sure, and there are no major aural disasters, but the track has a compressed, lifeless feel that is nothing more than dull. The opening score is a good indication of the brittle highs and unsubstantial bass. Voices lack crispness, sound hollow, and it's often obvious which ones have been looped in during post-production. Most disappointingly, when the two cars play dueling engines during the chase scene, I found myself longing for a rounder, throatier purr.
Bullitt: Steve McQueen's Commitment to Reality (480i, 10:14)
This vintage promo paints Bullitt as the most unflinchingly real Hollywood production
ever. The claim is a little laughable now, but this short featurette does deliver some cool behind-
the-scenes footage, and a few guarded insights into the filming of the chase
sequence.
Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool (480i, 1:27:03)
A doozy of a documentary, this is the gleaming hood ornament of Bullit's supplementary
features. Presented by Turner Classic Movies, The Essence of Cool is a thorough
examination of the life and career of Steve McQueen. Alec Baldwin talks about McQueen's style
and masculinity, Richard Attenborough discusses how they met during The Great Escape,
and Steve's former wife, Neile Adams, is present throughout to give insights into their personal
life. Several friends and co-workers crop up here, the three most memorable being Steve's karate
instructor and two charming old stunt men. The documentary is unafraid to broach McQueen's
darker side—his drug use and womanizing—and this keeps The Essence of Cool on an
even and interesting keel.
The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing (1080p, 1:39:23)
Only briefly mentioning Bullitt, this Starz-network documentary chronicles the
progression of movie editing—"the invisible art," as editors like to say—from Edwin S. Porter's
early shorts to the Wachowski brothers' Matrix films. Narrated by Kathy Bates, The
Cutting Edge features interviews with Jodie Foster, Anthony Minghella, Sean Penn, James
Cameron, Quinton Tarentino, and Steven Spielberg, among many others, and it also follows
editor Walter Murch as he pieces together Cold Mountain in Final Cut Pro. I'd probably
pay to own this documentary on its own, so it's kind of Warner to include it here, even though it
only marginally relates to Bullitt.
Commentary by Director Peter Yates
Yates flounders his way stodgily through this commentary, a track that firmly belongs in that
"why don't I put this on in the background while I clean the living room" category. Real insights
are few and far between, and while not a bad commentary track, per se, it's simply not lively
enough to hold attention throughout the film's two hour running time.
Theatrical Trailer (480i, 2:52)
Oil is on its way out, and with the recent restructuring of GM, the auto industry may never relive another halcyon era like the one that produced Bullitt's sleek Ford Mustang. So get started on your oil-punk graphic novel masterpiece before someone else beats you to it, and loop Bullitt's chase scene in the background for appropriate atmosphere. It's not the tightest thriller of its decade, and it won't ever be featured in Masterplots, but just as Blow- Up, Michelangelo Antonioni's mod classic, is a time capsule of London's swinging sixties, Bullitt is an iconic representation of classic American muscle, both in its sinewy automobiles and the aloof charisma of Steve McQueen, its sex-symbol star.
The Dirty Harry Collection
1973
1971
The Dirty Harry Collection
1983
The Dirty Harry Collection
1976
The Dirty Harry Collection
1988
1955
1971
Includes They Call Me MISTER Tibbs! and The Organization on standard BD
1967-1971
Encore Edition | Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
1953
Warner Archive Collection
1972
Reissue
1977
Limited Edition
2015
1946
2002
1997
2007
2014
1972
1975
2016