Okay let's face it, us car nuts did not save this DVD in
our library for the plot. The significance of this movie for us is
focused mainly on the lead character and the iconic car chase sequence.
What makes the car chase important in the movie Bullit? A number of
things, among them the filming and sequencing of the chase by director
Peter Yates. The chase was filmed entirely without vocal participation
by the actors. In my opinion the voices of the actors were replaced by
the sounds of the engines, tires and brakes squealing from the cars
themselves. There was a strong realism to the way in which the cars
behaved during the chase sequences. The cars braked, accelerated, turned
and jumped in a believable manner. There was tire hop, missed turns, bad
handling dents and dings.
From a "car culture" point of view it pitted the popular
1968 Ford Mustang GT 390 versus the Black (for bad guy) Charger R/T 440
against each other. Street racers everywhere respected the Chrysler high
performance cars of the era, but they were definitely the "bad
guys" of the street. So the charger was well selected as the
bad guy in this movie chase sequence. Often movie companies sign an
agreement with one car manufacturer (ie. GM, Ford, Chrysler) and the
viewer sees only one brand of car. In this case we saw brand versus a
competitive brand.
From the "click" of the seat belt in the Dodge Charger to
the fiery finish, it's all good!
Since this movie was shot, there is no doubt Directors have used this
car chase sequence as a benchmark from which to aspire. Some have come
close, most have not.
