Everybody talks about the car chase.
When I started teaching screenwriting, I had a couple of mentors. One pointed me to the famous car chase in Bullitt and described it as the "perfect 3-act structure." He was right. We have an introduction of the characters, then a slow build, then a commitment, then escalation, then further commitment, then even more escalation, and then a climax and resolution. Plus 6 hubcaps fly off the same car!
Set in an alternate universe in which 1968 San Francisco contained no hippies, Bullitt might be Steve McQueen's finest hour. I've since shown the film to my classes, and each time, the chase still works as a tool for teaching 3-act structure, as well as showing how one can tell a story in short form without the rest of the film, and without regard for hubcap counting.
Over the years, I've probably watched that chase 30 times, which is certainly enough for anyone, but I enjoy the sequence every time. The Foley work is extraordinary. Those cars roar in a way that no modern film has captured. Bullitt makes me want to take my Civic out for a drive. My Civic is my Mustang.
McQueen (Beech Grove, Indiana's own, by the way), had a string of films between 1960 and 1980 that stand as some of the best, most realistic thrillers of all time. I've not seen all of them, but I did go on a McQueen binge a few years ago, which got me through The Great Escape, The Hunter, The Getaway, Junior Bonner, and The Cincinnati Kid. I still need to see the rest of his films, including The Sand Pebbles and Papillon.
Sure, the effects in Bullitt look dated. There are jump cuts, and sharp-eyed viewers will spot the same green VW Beetle several times. Oh, and did I mention the Charger loses like 40 hubcaps?
Despite the warts, though, the chase still works. I can't remember the plot (who can?) but I remember that chase. Everyone remembers that chase.
McQueen's birthday is next week. He would've been 80. If he were still with us, I'm sure he'd still be driving some great muscle car like a bat out of hell, and he'd be cooler than anyone around.
If he were still alive he'd appear in The Great Mobility Scooter Chase. And it'd be the baddest thing we've ever seen.
ReplyDeleteYou can't remember the plot? Didn't you just rewatch the movie? Is it really that forgettable (I'd say yes... I've only seen the film once, but I certainly don't remember the plot at all)?
ReplyDelete--Alex Faurote
The plot of this movie is extremely forgettable. I've seen it several times, and I forget it about halfway through. Somehow it's still awesome.
ReplyDeleteFun fact of the day: Peter Yates, who directed this, also directed the ridiculous-but-entertaining Krull. (That's one of James Horner's finest scores, incidentally.)
(also known as Diane S.)
ReplyDelete1) Whenever they do the movie about my life I will select (the young) jacqueline Bisset to play me (she was McQueens girlfriend in the movie).
2) I always look for the VW in the chase scene, it's an obsession!
One of my favorite parts in the chase scene is towards the end when one of the bad guys the smiles. It's the only time one of them look remotely human.