Way back in July, and at the prompting of another list I found by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, I listed my "14 Films to See Before You Die".

Of course, any such list is incredibly subjective, but I noted that the first three films on the list were indeed my three favorites and that the others were in no particular order.  Yet #4 on the list wound up being Steve McQueen's Bullitt, and I'm inclined to think that while it may not be among the top 3, it most certainly deserves the #4 spot.

I wrote then:

Bullitt (1968) - Steve McQueen's absolutely best film, and one that I can watch over and over and over again.  The plot: Cop McQueen is told to keep a mob witness safe, but things go bad very quickly.  McQueen equally quickly realizes he's been hired to this job to take the fall, but those manipulating things behind the scenes underestimated him.  Bonus: Probably the all time best car chase ever filmed.

Yesterday, on TCM, they aired the movie and, one again, I simply couldn't stop myself from watching it.  There's something so damn good about the film that continuously attracts me to it, from the very original plot to the many things that, subsequently, became cliched in the 1970's, particularly in their TV cop shows.

To begin: The movie features perhaps one of the boldest slights of hand ever in the history of motion pictures.  A member of "the organization" is running for his life.  He's stolen from the mob, for protection, is willing to talk to a Senate subcommittee about what he knows.  He's fled to San Francisco, and Walter Chalmers (Robert Vaughn at his slimiest), is the ambitious politician who plans to have him testify...if he lives to make it to the hearing.  Chalmers personally asks for detective Frank Bullitt and his men protect the rogue mobster, and things get very interesting from that point on.

To reveal more would be a disservice, but suffice it to say not only do you get a great detective story, you're also presented with a fascinating "day in the life" view of Bullitt's world.  He's a weary man who is more intelligent than he lets on, and knows the behind the scene intrigue better than Robert Vaughn's Chalmers wants...and hopes.

But the cherry on top of this particular cake is the car chase sequence.  Everyone who mentions this film points this chase out, and I'd go so far as to say it may well be the best ever committed to film.  And it's not just the chase, which is fantastic in and of itself, but it works because we get the slow burn build up.  Hero and villain play a little cat and mouse before going full speed.  And the cars involved in the chase...!

But don't see the film only for this.  The rest is pretty damn fantastic too.

Very worth of your time.