I also saw this in a theater. I was 12 years old and I and my best friend wanted to be bounty hunters after seeing this film. Never realized that wish. Had to settle for being a cop for the last 20 plus years. Summer 1980 had so many great smaller films that didn't have the fame of The Empire Strikes Back, Airplane, The Blues Brothers, Caddyshack, or The Shining. I loved The Hunter and The Big Red One just as dearly.
@@Carlos-uq8if “You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” C.S. Lewis I don't know about the Tea. You give me 3 fingers of Markers Mark and a big History book and I'm a Happy Camper!. Right now about 2/3 of the way through "The Ordeal Of The Union" 8 volumes on The Civil War.
I'm 55, and watched this movie when I was a kid - probably younger than 10. I've always remembered and loved this scene (from when he hears them inside to when he shoots the guy with the stungun). I just randomly saw it and watched it again for the first time in nearly 50 years, and it was just as good as I remembered it.
McQueen was sensational in his last two movies. He downright refused to let the severities of his illness prevent him from granting his loyal fans two more stellar performances. While other actors would call it a day this fucking guy kept the fire ablaze and very much remained The King of Cool till the day he died.
@@JBliehall Yeah, Hard to believe that today marks 40 years since he died. He's the most Badass, and the coolest guy I've ever seen on screen. R.I.P. Steve.
@@DaisysmellowyellowPlymouth And in person he was not a nice man. His expose' confirmed what many already knew. He had personal issues from his past and treated women almost with contempt. Ali included. She left her very successful husband for him and when Steve died she got nothing. Sad legacy for a man with so much talent on screen.
@@JBliehall Yes, I know how he came up, he had a rough go, reminds me of myself... I think of him as a man who was then able to mold himself into a person who could take on the world, which doesn't give a sh*t about anyone. I have a lot of favorite actors but he's my favorite, but he is also my favorite as a man, because in my opinion: to be like Steve means that No one can push you around. While some bad: the story of his life is how you conquer the world, in my opinion. Maybe its wrong of me to think that way (I would treat women different than Steve to be honest) it's just the way I see it, maybe because of how I've been brought up... I don't know... I have to agree with you some, but.. I don't think he made mistakes any more horrible than the next guy... Not taking any sh*t and the way he was is why he is The King of Cool, and I'm glad that I know of him and that it's rubbed off on me... Haven't you heard of any of the good that he did? Like donating to the boys school that he had to go to? Or the fact that he accepted God before he passed?
@@DaisysmellowyellowPlymouth Yes, he certainly did give a lot back. But no amount of "Good" tilts the scale to level when you are that "Bad." I met him 1 night on the 10 freeway on my motorcycle. I lived in Santa Monica and would head to Palm Springs for relaxation. It was after 4 AM (the drunk drivers had either crashed, gone home or gotten arrested by then) and I saw 1 headlight in the mirror-either a car with 1 headlight out or a motorcycle. I slowed down and a beautiful Ariel Square 4 British bike pulled up next to me. They didn't make many of them. We went back and forth for quite a while and finally I flashed my lights and gestured "Let's get coffee." It took him a long time too make up his mind (and I understand why) but finally he pulled ahead and we got off at a Denny's. Neither of us were wearing helmets (ya, dumb) and when he took his googles off I knew immediately who it was. We went inside, got a booth and ordered coffee. He looked at me and said flatly...."Let's not talk about what you want to talk about." I replied, "How do you know what it is I want to talk about?" He smiled and gave that I give gesture. I said, "I want to know how much you have to strip off the BMW German motorcycle so it could even get off the ground let alone over the fence." As you know he could not do that scene in the Great Escape, his best friend Bud Ekins made the jump. He said, "Look at the movie again. We started and filmed with the BMW but switched to a Triumph TR 6 for the jump scenes." I did and it was. We finished our coffee and as we were getting ready to leave I reached out to shake his hand, he never hesitated and shook mine with a firm hand. That was it. I never asked for an autograph. What could a piece of paper add to that experience? I never told him I also thought it was a terrible movie. Supposedly their 3rd Stalag Luft prisoner of war camp and the British all have immaculate uniforms with their insignia of rank and all their commendation ribbons....really? I didn't expect them to dress in rags, but Steve has his like new leather jacket and baseball glove? Really a stretch. Stay safe and well. James
I loved this film from the first viewing, but seeing McQueen the consummate car racer and enthusiast playing a guy who couldn't back a car out of fresh mowed field without putting a dent into it. Levar Burton had one of the best lines in the whole film, after staring at 'Papa' Thorson smashing into cars in front and in back to get out of a parallel slot, he says "Who taught you how to drive? Leon Spinks?!" that line busts me up every time.
As a side note to that....pierce brosnan buys a Porsche after doing a James Bond movie...may have been after the first one....as he mention he was not a big spender but just wanted to reward himself for this big role...007 and all....He goes on to say he about tore the gear box out as he drove away....admits he had never driven a shifter before....
I really miss this guy as he really lit up the screen. He claimed he got cancer from asbestos when he was in the navy cleaning the submarine. A real individualist and a smart, cool cat.
some movies are just bound to be owned by a MCQUEEN fan,this is one of his best,it is a real comedy,kickass,you need the disc nobody wants to see this once,genius egotist,who was damn right cool,no one can take his place IMO
Saw this movie in the Theater back in the day Steve was dying then U could see it through his acting, the "Fire" was gone. Never watched it again until now. To damn depressing for me,since I grew up with Steve( as a fan) With 95% of his movies Under my belt,and The TV show"
I saw this movie on the Z channel when I was a kid, and I remember this scene as though I had seen it yesterday. "It ruins your day"--well said! I godda see this movie again.
"The Hunter" takes Steve back to his television roots where he was a wild west bounty hunter in "Dead or Alive". Well he showed up once more as a bounty hunter.
@@nevadaracer00V Right you are. I heard of it in California. I researched it, found the entire series on eBay, and bought all seasons. I really enjoy it. In the extras he says he had had enough and wanted to quit the series to move on to movies. 😀
@@panteraxenos4789 Hello 👋 I agree with you just watch the original Magnificent Seven the other night one of my favorite all time 🤠 western 🐎 movies of all time along with Shane 🙂 June 28,2021
@@panteraxenos4789yes. He quit Wanted: DOA" to join the 7. He got out of his TV contract by staging a car accident in Boston to break his leg. He really wanted to be in that film.
If there is a Steve McQueen movie that should be played more often,it’s ‘The Hunter’.He was great in this movie,and the character of Ralph Papa Thorson was so different for him.
sad but true it was his last film, released I think about 4 months before his death. You can see McQueen is somewhat thinner than when he & Ben Johnson were in "The Getaway" 8 years before.
The Hunter (1980) is based on the exploits of Ralph "Papa" Thorson, a real-live, professional bounty hunter from Los Angeles, who hunts fugitives for a bail bondsman.
David Barbala Tom Horn and The Hunter were both released in 1980 but McQueen was diagnosed a month after The Hunter completed filming and he was in beginning stages of his lung cancer when filming started and was evident during filming when tried doing stunts and would be out of breath. Shortly after the film of Tom Horn premiered news spread that McQueens cancer was terminal
License plate reads 247 PCE at 7:10 The "PCE" always meant a Hollywood car or stunt vehicle. Spielberg used it in the car driven by Dennis Weaver In "Duel". The 1970 red Valiant license plate 149 PCE.
@@pauledwards7182 Why would the studios not simply replace the "-PCE" prop. plate with another, anonymous, one that the state's licencing authority would issue on a one-time basis to any ordinary road-vehicle?: the 'real' plate could be discarded after filming had wrapped and the studio's own plate reattached.
Gotta say the two that really grabbed me were The Sand Pebbles, and Soldier In The Rain. He got to show some of his under appreciated range in character and I got something in my eye every time I saw them.
When I was on active duty in the USMC on Okinawa practically every little shop type store had a picture of Steve McQueen on the wall as a poster. I knew he had been in the Corps but I didn't know then or now why the Okinawans had such a fascination for him. I just checked his wiki and it said he was a pallbearer at Bruce Lee's funeral. That is probably why he was so liked by the Okinawans.
I never made the connection when Star Trek TNG came out that Geordi had been in that movie with Steve. I’m so old I saw that movie when originally in the theaters.
The running joke of this movie is that Papa loved collecting and tinkering with mechanical devices but it's demonstrated over and over that he couldn't operate a real vehicle worth $#it and he ends up behind the wheel of some real dogs. So they cast Steve McQueen who in real life ran the wheels off all kinds of 2 and 4 wheel racers. Damn shame is that he looked so well in this movie and it was his last.
In Seattle we have many hills similar to San Francisco where Bullit was filmed. One of them is 65th St between Ballard and Greenlake. My old man just LOVED going up and down this crazy hill and he didn't mind taking his six year old kid with him. The car would land with a huge "whoomph!" every time he would hit X streets just like in the movie. When he got up to the ridge, or Greenwood Ave, he would speed through the light and go even faster down the hill. I thought this was great!
I bought a 68 Bullitt from a professional restorer. Owned it for 5 years. The car was original and almost too nice to drive. Firefighters used to give me thumbs up. People seemed to drive a bit more reckless around me when I drove it.
@@elbandido9887 he seemed to age as this film progressed . Imagine life being choked away a month at a time . I heard by April 1980 he wasn't able to do much . Breathing more difficult . Sad to think about for those of us that idolized him .
@@p47thunderbolt68 Man that statement hit home hard but it's real. My dad has copd and struggles hard! I quit my career to help him, quit ten years ago and don't regret it!!! All of his movies were fun to watch and still are! And yes this movie rocks as old Hollywood did back then. Just making cool, fun low budget movies for us to enjoy. Now everybody got a phuqing statement to make and spend $hundred mill doing so!!!
@@WilliamKing-hf8lc I did that for my mother . She also had COPD .She lived to be 90 years old .COPD was listed on death certificate as a contributing factor , heart failure was the main reason . It's an awful thing watching someone struggling to breathe . I can only imagine how Mr. McQueen suffered reading what I have about the last months of his life . I hope I have the courage to fight like he did . I've heard it said that smoking has nothing to do with mesothelioma since it attacks the linning of the lungs . I have a lot of good memories watching McQueen movies with my father . He dies in 1998 aged 72 . I remember coming home from the funeral .I turned on the TV and Pappillion was on . I'm glad for you that you was able to be a caregiver for him . It's an awful thing to watch someone that was once so strong waste away day by day . His faith made it a liitle easier to watch him go . Thanks
I read a book about the life of Steve McQueen, in the book it said he was actually getting better. He had surgery to remove a benign tumor from his stomach, the surgery went well, and as he was in the recovery room he had a anesthesia induced heart attack!
First and Last movie release was August 1, 1980 . He died Nov 07, 1980. I often wonder if he had remained healthy what his career would of been. His last 3 movies were flops . Would he of been able to find his way to the top again? faded away? , Character parts? We'll never know.
He looks ravaged. He had this blasted cancer in him. He was awkward and choosy, but i think he was worth better than character parts. He was too good. My favourite is Papillon, saw it on tv BBC just after he died January'81. @@p47thunderbolt68
