Bullitt wrote the recipe for '70s cop movies - steely, downbeat authenticity and a big dollop of violence but its continuing appeal relies on Steve McQueen's phenomenal screen presence. Without him, it would merely be a solid police procedural with a confusing plot and a coolcar chase.

With his bruised eyes and paisley pyjamas, McQueen personifies the world-weary hero that thrillers have riffed on ever since, and his verbal duels with Robert Vaughn's oily politician are every bit as thrilling as his rubber-burning rampage through the streets of San Francisco. Lalo Schifrin's brooding, funky score adds an irresistible layer of retro cool to the deliberate lensing.

DVD Extras:

Brit director Peter Yates contributes a commentary short on anecdote, long on technical detail and somewhat preoccupied with the gee-whizz theory that Bullitt is really a Western. There are some good titbits - he casually reveals, for instance, that the car chase was never in the original script and Vaughn's performance effectively killed his nascent political career.The second disc provides an exhaustive film-by-film analysis of McQueen's journey from fresh-faced Method acolyte to beardy recluse, painting the actor as an egotist, womaniser, perfectionist, joker and scene-stealer. There is also a featurette on McQueen's commitment to realism and a doc on the history of movie editing.