Chasing Bullitt is a 2019 drama about a Hollywood icon who searches for an elusive and equally iconic car.
How do you play – or even go about – putting on screen a portrayal one of the most iconic film stars in cinema history? Obviously, the movies have gone and done that plenty of times with the best of them trying to capture the look and feel of legends who came before us with varying degrees of success. In writer and director Joe Eddy‘s latest effort, Chasing Bullitt, it’s not just Steve McQueen but a car he made famous that gets put to the test. It’s a kind of meditation on celebrity that is better defined by Eddy’s excellent direction even as its leads bring to life their counterparts with just the right amount of flare and respect.
It’s 1971 and McQueen (Andre Brooks) is just back from France where his latest film Les Mans is tanking, savaged by critics and abandoned by fans. Hiding out in the deserts, McQueen is offered three films and his manager Freddie (Dennis W. Hall) demandes he choose one quickly to restore his place at the top. Thing is, McQueen is just not into it, reeling from France and the slow steady loss of his failing marriage to Neile (Augie Duke). He’s also upset with the car the studio gave him as a gift because it’s not the car he asked for, the GT 390 from Bullitt. So he tells Freddie to find it or he won’t choose his next picture. Meanwhile, we travel through the back years of McQueen’s life in shaping who he is and what he’s become.
Any thoughts on a movie like this must begin with its star and how well he gets hold of the man he’s trying to portray. Naturally, if you’re any kind of fan of the real McQueen, there’s a hesitancy to jump aboard any imitation. He was a one-of-a-kind actor with an enduring and endearing presence, both on and off screen. Admittedly, it takes a bit to join Brooks in his take on the actor, but surprisingly, it’s not long before he finds the proper groove and makes Steve his own.
So too does Duke who is equally impressive, the onscreen couple esoterically gathering together the beats and bumps of their rocky relationship. This is in large part thanks to Eddy, who does a near masterful job of filtering the aura and rose-colored appeal of this long celebrated time in movie history. His use of quick asides, split screens, momentary flashes, and dreamy cutaways do wonders for pulling us into the complicated and perhaps troubled mind of our star. This is a smart choice in tapping into the often sheltered and mysterious image that is Steve McQueen.
Drawn from reality, the film obviously takes a few liberties and layers much of the truth in some storytelling looseness, with an extended bit involving a beautiful hitchhiker (Alysha Young) allowing the filmmakers a chance to give McQueen someone to recount and imagine his life and possibilities. A movie likes this needs to be careful and wisely, Eddy doesn’t try to overly-romanticize the film star, keeping intact the already ethereal sheen the years have layered over him sturdily in place while peeling it back a bit to let a little new light in. It’s a curious journey and a unique way of doing so making this well worth a look, fans of the legend or not.