Bullitt: Racing Through the Streets of San Francisco

Bullitt ranks is one of Steve McQueen's most famous and most popular movies. Released in 1968, it features McQueen in the role of a hip police officer--Lt. Frank Bullitt- who tangles with a publicity-hungry local politician (played by Robert Vaughn). The movie, directed by Peter Yates, went on to make movie history, thanks to a fabulous car chase sequence which still rates today as the best one ever caught on film.

Since McQueen insisted that the movie be shot on location in San Francisco, it's filled with beautiful shots of the city. For anyone intimately familiar with the city, the movie offers its own distinctive tour of the streets of the city by the Golden Gate.

Although some of the locations, such as the car wash (where Bullitt becomes aware of the bad guys following him), no longer exist today, many others do. As a result, it's possible for tourists (and residents as well) to see them today. Among some of the most memorable sites are the following:


1) Nob Hill

Noted for its geographical position as one of the highest points in San Francisco, Nob Hill is the home of both the Fairmont and the Mark Hopkins (two of the city's most luxurious hotels). In one of the earliest scenes in the movie, Bullitt has a cab driver (played by Robert Duvall of The Godfather fame) retrace the route taken by a murder victim. One of the stops was at a Nob Hill hotel.

2) Grace Cathedral

During another key scene in the movie, the politician (Chalmers) catches up with Bullitt's superior (played by Simon Oakland), as he and his family are on their way to church one Sunday morning. Atop another of San Francisco's hills, Grace Cathedral is a commanding presence in the city.

3) North Beach

When the movie was made, North Beach was a hot spot for the city's night life. Among its clubs and restaurants, Bullitt meets with Eddie, an informer, to get information on the witness coming from Chicago.

4) the Hall of Justice

Situated next to the freeway leading to the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, the Hall of Justice is the site where Bullitt and Chalmers tangle once again, as Bullitt attempts to investigate a murder case without submitting to pressures from Chalmers to do things his way.


5) Pacific Heights

In an imposing, white-colored mansion in the Pacific Heights section of the city, a place offering a commanding view of the bay, Bullitt first meets Chalmers at a reception he's hosting in the building. Chalmers, needing Bullitt to protect a high profile witness coming to San Francisco from Chicago, attempts to seduce Bullitt by informing him how they both could benefit in their careers as a result of the assignment.

6) Bay View, Mission, Potrero Hill, Bayshore

The actual streets over which Bullitt, driving a Mustang, chases the bad guys are in several different neighborhoods in San Francisco. in fact, for someone who knows the city well, it's fun to see how (thanks to the marvels of the cutting room where movies are edited) drivers, who are madly racing through the streets at high speed in their cars, find themselves in one neighborhood in one scene and then in the very next one are in a completely different neighborhood, one that is clear across town . The chase first begins when Bullitt leaves a car wash (at the intersection of Army and Bayshore), with the bad guys following him. Then, as he drives along Army, headed toward Mission Street, Bullitt suddenly (and unexpectedly) swerves to the left, racing up a hill.

7) San Francisco International Airport

The first thing to note about the location of the airport is that it is not within the city limits of San Francisco. Rather, it's to the south of the city. The climactic scenes near the end of the movie take place at the airport, with Bullitt even running across a runway just as a plane is preparing to take off.

Throughout the movie, of course, background shots of various locations enhance the appeal of the movie for spectators who love San Francisco. Bullitt will live forever as a testament to the charms and beauty of a unique city.