Bullitt Bullitt Bullitt is a 1968 American thriller film directed by Peter Yates and produced by Philip D'Antoni. The picture stars Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, and Jacqueline Bisset. The screenplay by Alan R. Trustman and Harry Kleiner was based on the 1963 novel, "Mute Witness", by Robert L. Fish, writing under the pseudonym Robert L. Pike. Lalo Schifrin wrote the original jazz-inspired score, arranged for brass and percussion. Robert Duvall has a small role as a cab driver who provides information to McQueen. The film was made by McQueen's Solar Productions company, with his partner Robert E. Relyea as executive producer.
Bullitt the live band playing in the background is Meridian West, a jazz quartet that McQueen had seen performing at the famous Sausalito restaurant, The Trident. "Bullitt" garnered both critical acclaim and box office success. Produced on a $5.5 million budget, the film grossed over $42.3 million in the US, making it the 5th highest-grossing film of 1968. "Bullitt" was well received by critics and is considered by some to be one of the best films of 1968. At the time, Renata Adler made the film a "New York Times" Critics' Pick, calling it a "terrific movie, just right for Steve