Bullitt is part of a team protecting the life of mob informant Ross around the clock. Ross is to delivered to dislikable politician Chalmers (Robert Vaughn), who plans to present Ross as a witness at a Senate hearing. While Ross is under the protection of Detective Stanton (Carl Reindel), two mob hitmen burst into the hotel room and shoot him.
Ross, critically injured, is hospitalized under the care of black surgeon Willard (Georg Stanford Brown). A second attempt on his life is made by one of the hitmen. Further leads allow Bullitt to locate the suspects and pursue their Dodge Charger in his Ford Mustang. The ten minute car chase is the most famous sequence from the film, and ends in the fiery demise of the two hitmen.
Another murder, a woman in a hotel, leads to a luggage search that confirms that "Ross" is really Albert Renick, and the murdered woman is Renick's wife. They were paid by the real Ross, a mob embezzler, to take the fall for Ross' actions. The real Ross plans to flee for Europe on a Pan Am flight, but is confronted by Bullitt at the SFO airport.
Familiar faces in supporting roles include Robert Duvall as a taxi driver who can identify the hitmen, and Vic Tayback as Ross' brother.
How others will see it. Bullitt was a box office smash, listed as the 5th biggest film of the 1968 by Wikipedia. The film was a critical favorite, especially the car chase, which won an Oscar for film editor Frank P. Keller. BAFTA gave the film five nominations, including Best Director, Best Cinematography, and Best Supporting Actor (Vaughn, who is truly hissable here).
Today at imdb.com, the film remains highly popular. It has 37K user votes, and the average grade of 7.5 is consistent across all demographics. Some complain that the plot is hard to follow, and there is a stereotypical scene in which Bisset is shocked, shocked, to learn that Bullitt's job as a policeman exposes him to gruesome violence. Bisset herself is the subject of considerable viewer lust.
But generally, the film is praised. The minimalist script and score, and McQueen's naturalistic performance, are well liked. The only character over the top is Chalmers, who does his best to become hated by everyone.
How I felt about it. Aside from Bisset's generic babe girlfriend character, there is little to criticize here. Early scenes can be frustrating because actions appear inexplicable, especially "Ross" unchaining his hotel room door to allow hitmen to enter and murder him. Much later in the film, adequate explanations are provided, although Renick must have been promised a mountain of money to take such risks. One can only imagine what cover story his wife was told.
Bullitt is, to a degree, a rogue cop, similar to Dirty Harry some years later, though less insulting to his superiors, at least until he tells off Vaughn at the airport. It is downright sneaky to hide the body of "Ross" to further draw out the hitmen. Bullitt is also in need of a police radio, or at least a walkie-talkie, before taking on dangerous mob criminals single-handed. He could really use backup, although as long as hoods are bad shots, he's in the clear.