Steve McQueen was never a bigger, cooler star than in this 1968 cop flick. Playing a San Francisco policeman humiliated by failing to protect a witness targeted by the mob, he goes on a revenge tear with steely determination, barely a trace of emotion ever registering on his face. Yet unlike Clint Eastwood, then his closest male rival at the box office, theres always something vulnerable about his stoic reserve. He doesnt keep his mouth shut because hes tougher than anyone else, but because you sense that words, too, may let him down. McQueen essentially starts out whipped in this picture and never fully recovers. Hes as traumatized by failure as success. Of course, what most people recall about Bullitt is the incredible car chase with McQueen at the wheel of a Mustang. (The famous car nut did most of his own stunt driving.) Jacqueline Bisset, Robert Vaughn, and Robert Duvall help round out the cast. (A few day of show tickets may remain; his widow, Neile McQueen Toffel, will attend.) (NR) BRIAN MILLER
Thursdays, 7:30 p.m. Starts: Jan. 7. Continues through March 11, 2010
