Johnny
Ross works for Chicago mobster Peter Ross, his brother. In
April 1968 Johnny Ross escapes two attempts on his life and
flees to San Francisco, where he is placed in protective custody
by politician Walter Chalmers, who hopes to use Ross to further
his own national aspirations. To protect Ross, Chalmers asks
the SFPD to assign Detective Lieutenant Frank Bullitt and
his partners, Sergeants Don Delgetti and Carl Stanton, to
guard him at a flophouse near an overhead freeway.
It looks
like a simple assignment, but at 1 AM the next day it all
goes awry in a blast of a shotgun, leaving Stanton and Ross
fighting for life at San Francisco General. Bullitt gets what
information he can, but breathing down his neck is the angered
Chalmers who vows to ruin Bullitt's career should Ross die.
Bullitt gets a break when the gunman appears at the hospital
to finish off Ross, and Bullitt gets a good look at him; now
Bullitt must smoke out the gunman and his backup man before
Chalmers carries out his threat, leading to a high-speed pursuit,
a fiery crash at a gas station, and a fingerprint check that
leads to a stunning discovery about Ross, and about a couple
staying at a swanky hotel in San Mateo.
Bullitt's
friend is shot and the witness is left at death's door by
two hit men who seem to know exactly where the the witness
was hiding. Bullitt begins a search for both the killer and
the leak, but he must keep the witness alive long enough to
make sure the killers return. Chalmers has no interest in
the injured policeman or the killers, only in the hearings
that will catapult him into the public eye and wants to shut
down Bullitt's investigation. This movie includes one of the
finest car chases put on film, bar none. A must see for Mustang
and Charger fanatics. McQueen did alot of his own driving.
Steve
McQueen was a superstar in the true sense of the word. He
is probably the most emulated movie actor ever. He was into
motorcycles and race cars long before it became "hip" in Hollywood
to do so, and he raced both professionally. At one point in
his career, he considered taking up auto racing full time,
showing that his passion for racing and fast machines was
more than a publicity move, as it seems to have become for
today's actors.
Some facts
about Steve McQueen:
- Although
he was the highest paid star of the 1960's Steve McQueen
had a reputation for being tightfisted. On some films he
would demand 10 electric razors, and dozens of pairs of
jeans. It was later found out he gave this stuff to the
Chino Reform School for boys, where he spent a few years
himself.
- Left-handed.
- Was
expelled from the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now
Carnegie Mellon University) for riding his motorcycle through
the College of Fine Arts building.
- Steve
McQueen was issued a Private Pilots license by the FAA in
1979 after learning to fly in a STEARMAN BI-PLANE which
he purchased for that purpose. After his death it was sold
at action with a large collection of vehicles by the estate
in 1982.
- Trained
in the martial arts under both Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris.
- Served
in the United States Marine Corps.
|