Scenes We Love: 'Bullitt' (Yes, the Car Chase)
Filed under: Scenes We Love
Bullitt, released 41 years ago next month, is a fairly ordinary crime drama about an unorthodox cop unraveling a conspiracy that led to the murder of a witness. What it's famous for is a 10-minute sequence in which the cop, played by Steve McQueen, is followed by -- and then chases, at terrifying speeds -- the two men responsible for the murder. Nearly every movie car chase since then has been compared to the one in Bullitt, and rightfully so. Watch it, after the jump, and behold its tire-squealing awesomeness.Consider also how different it is from chases scenes in modern movies. The average shot length for this 9 1/2-minute segment is 3.7 seconds, with many shots lasting four or five times that long. I don't think any car chase in a Hollywood film made in the last 20 years has done that -- quick-cutting is the norm now. And while that frenetic style has its place (I love the car chase in The Bourne Supremacy), it would be hard to argue that Bullitt's chase sequence would have been improved by faster cutting. The long shots let you see where the cars are in relation to each other and to their surroundings. Several shots give you a driver's-eye view of the action, and it's like riding a roller coaster. You couldn't get that effect with a series of split-second shots. (Bullitt won the Oscar for its editing, by the way.)
McQueen did his own driving for all but a few shots. (Legend has it he intentionally leaned toward the open window so that viewers could see it's really him.) It's clear there's no fakery in the high speeds, either: Those cars really are going that fast, and they are just barely avoiding countless wrecks. (Another difference between this and most modern car chases: There's very little collateral damage, up until the end.)
One other thing to notice is the music. Lalo Schifrin's jazzy score is moving along at a steady pace as things pick up: McQueen sees the bad guys, starts following them carefully, nothing too dramatic yet. It's not until the 2:50 mark that the killers peel out and the chase really begins -- and the music stops. There's no more music, and no dialogue, for the rest of the sequence. Who needs music and talking when you've got muscle cars skidding around the streets of San Francisco??
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-11-2009 @ 4:05PM
Jim said...
It's an ok car chase. It's actually kind of boring, as nothing too exciting happens through most of it. The lack of collateral damage is not a good thing, in my opinion. It raises the stakes when innocent lives are at risk (or taken) in a good chase.
Also, I can't believe this comment: "I love the car chase in The Bourne Supremacy." Really? I mean....REALLY?!! That was easily THE worst edited chase scene in movie history, and you are saying you love it?! They took a brilliantly choreographed/planned chase and edited it so that not only does the average viewer get motion sickness from the constant flash of scene changes, but you LITERALLY CAN NOT TELL WHAT IS GOING ON. The Bourne Identity was WONDERFULLY shot/edited and the fight scene in Bourne's French apartment is classic. Add a new director and camera man/cinematographer, and you have fight scenes and car chases in the Supremacy that COMPLETELY CONFUSE THE VIEWER AND MAKE THEM SICK. I love roller coasters, fast cars, I'm not afraid of heights, and never get sea sick. However, when I watched the Bourne Supremacy, I actually felt sick to my stomach from how HORRIBLE the editing is. Go on Amazon, look up the Bourne Surpremacy, and read the countless negative comments about the editing/cinematography.
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9-11-2009 @ 4:44PM
Gordon said...
I guess my eyeballs (and Eric's) are faster than yours, because I could follow what was going on in the Bourne Supremacy car chase just fine — and it was awesome.
9-11-2009 @ 4:51PM
Nate3092 said...
Seriously, Jim?
If you believe the car chase scene is "ok", then the least you could do was state another film, that you would perceive, as a better filmed chase sequence.
"Bullitt," hands down, best car chase ever put to film. Followed very closely by "The French Connection." Coincidentally, both choreographed by the same stunt driver.
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9-11-2009 @ 6:14PM
ElevatorHappyFun said...
3. Ronin (both scenes)
4. Matrix Reloaded - Highway Chase
5. Rendezvous (13 minute tour of Paris at 100+ mph)
9-11-2009 @ 6:16PM
ElevatorHappyFun said...
6. Children of Men (single shot "slow" chase in woods)
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9-11-2009 @ 7:35PM
Liam said...
If you want a great car chase check out "The Seven-Ups" starring Roy Scheider. Good stuff!
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9-12-2009 @ 5:44AM
BloodwerK said...
Ronin's second chase is easily the best ever...
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9-12-2009 @ 9:53AM
dukrous said...
Nothing beats a good car chase and this is among the best. Some other good ones are mentioned above, but I have a soft spot for the chase at the end of the original Gone in 60 Seconds.
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9-12-2009 @ 5:21PM
Niels said...
I like this chase a lot but what do you mean 'Those cars really are going that fast'? Didn't you notice footage was sped up a little in places. Watch the other cars and some pedestrians.
'Rendezvous' is also a favourite.
The overal editing is important, but the sound is what really gets me. I love the sound of those american muscle cars.
But watch the gear changes in the editing. Only upshifting and no downshifting is bound to get noticed and, like all mistakes, is very annoying once you notice.
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10-05-2009 @ 7:11PM
'Bullitt' again ... *yawn* said...
It never gets mentioned in these discussions, which always recap the usual suspects ('Ronin,' uh-huh; 'The French Connection,' right). For my money, however, the greatest car chase sequence ever filmed is the horse-truck-car-motorcycle chase in 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' where Indy swipes the ark on the road to Cairo. Far, far more thrilling than watching cops and robbers swerve through traffic on crowded city streets for the hundredth time.
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10-07-2009 @ 3:40AM
shora said...
This was pretty great...
still I personally think Matrix Reloaded chase was the best ever created... and then Bad Boys 2 and the one in Final Fantasy: Advent Children (yeah its all CG and no one cares about full-CG, but god its well choreographed)
The one in in Bourne Supermacy is really really well-done too
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