One of my favorite movies and is one of a kind. A no-nonsense artistically superb film that is a perfect blend of minimalist acting, camera work and soundtrack. The simple spartan dialogue gives the actors the screen space to communicate much more than words. They manage to deliver more realistic characters than the pretentious over-the-top acting we often encounter in our time. McQueen does an incredible job in shaping the personality of his character and discretely exposing his struggles to manage and insulate his two worlds: a rough job that he is good at and a bohemian private life. Eventually, his work drive breaks the insulating barrier... This element of invoking the audience's thoughts has faded from mainstream Hollywood films. It is a period movie that takes you back to that glorious (or not so glorious) SF era. The plot may appear simple at first but there seems to more under the surface and it may take several viewings to connect the dots.

McQueen had it all - Cool and Edgy. Something about the movie is just old school intriguing - I watch it at least once a year.

Good quality entertainment. It fits the detective murder mystery adventure genre like a glove keeping us glued to the screen. Helping this along is no other than Steve McQueen who just looks good in movies. A good story, some fine directing and a decent supporting cast and you have an enjoyable two hours on your hands. Who wouldn't want one of those cars after seeing the case scenes in this movie BTW. I like police drama where the badge is a privilege but also a hindrance in doing what needs to be done. In this movie, the law is respected and kept to forcing the star to use his wits and just good ole fashioned police work to prevail and win the day against a very smart perpetrator. That's why this works but only for its time. Today, rules are bent, waived and eyes are closed and authorities do what they want when they want hiding behind the law sad but true more often than not. Think dirty Harry and how popular that became when he tried to tread that fine line but crossed it when he had to. Good movie for a TV dinner and a tasty drink while watching. There is a TV dinners scene in the movie. Too bad Steve didn't milk this character of his called Bullitt as it would have done for him what the Dirty Harry series did for Eastwood. It was a good formula ahead of its time.

I saw this back in the day and the memory I retained was of a violent movie in the area of Point Blank or Dirty Harry so I was surprised when I watched it again recently to find that apart from the celebrated car chase it is relatively violence-free, which is not necessarily a bad thing. On the whole it is much more cerebral than the average cop-based thriller and reminiscent of the Doona Leon school of detective story with a strong moral stance rather than wallowing in violence. Steve McQueen is someone I have never bought into as a bargain-basement Lee Marvin preferring him in 'smaller' films like Soldier In The Rain and here he is thoughtful rather than macho with a desire to see justice prevail. A good watch.