Continuity mistake: Steve McQueen passes the same green Volkswagen at least three times while chasing the black Dodge Charger R/T. This is due to the same downhill portion being shown to us from multiple angles to artificially extend the length of the scene.
Bullitt (1968)
Ending / spoiler
Directed by: Peter Yates
Starring: Robert Duvall, Steve McQueen, Jacqueline Bisset, Robert Vaughn, Don Gordon
It turns out that the witness that was killed in the beginning was actually a businessman named Renick who was paid by the actual Johnny Ross to cover for him as he tried to escape with the mob's money. Bullitt tracks Ross down to an airport, and just as Ross' plane is about to take off, Bullitt manages to delay the flight and corner Ross. After a prolonged gun battle claiming the lives of several innocents, Bullitt finally manages to gun down Ross at the entrance of the terminal.
Matt P.
More mistakes in Bullitt
Bullitt: Who else knew where he was?
Walter Chalmers: What?
Bullitt: Who else knew where he was?
Walter Chalmers: What are you implying?
Bullitt: Well, they knew where to look for him, and they used your name to get in.
Walter Chalmers: Are you suggesting I disclosed his whereabouts?
Bullitt: Well, somebody did. And it didn't come from us.
Trivia: Although we never know the names of the hitmen, Bill Hickman (who drove the Charger) is listed as 'Bill' in the end credits. He was so well respected for his stunt work - and had remained largely anonymous in previous films - he was given an identity for Bullitt.
Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.
Suggested correction: We do know their names. The hitmen are credited as "Mike" (Paul Genge) and "Phil" (Bill Hickman).
Question: What character did the actor John Aprea play in the movie? The credits at the end lists him as 'The Killer', but who did he kill? He wasn't one of the two hit men at the hotel.
Answer: Notice: Aprea is credited as "Killer", not "The Killer." I think this confuses reviewers, as they assume he must be one of the hit men. However, the hit men are credited as "Phil" (Bill Hickman) and "Mike" (Paul Genge). Genge is much older than Aprea and Aprea does not look like the grey-haired hit man, as another contributor has pointed out already. There is no other killer in the plot. Perhaps Aprea's scenes were cut.
Answer: The doctor that alerts Bullitt that the grey-haired hitman is in the hospital looks like Aprea. He calls himself Dr. Kenner, and that character is uncredited. Maybe "Killer" was supposed to be "Kenner" in the credits?
Answer: Aprea portrays the Organization hood who shoots wildly at Johnny Ross as Ross' car careens out of the parking lot into and down the alley during his getaway in Chicago.
Answer: In a Bullitt movie clip on the Turner Classic Movies (TCM) website, it identifies John Aprea as the killer who goes to the hospital to murder the witness. Bullitt chases him to the basement toward the end of the film.
The killer that Bullitt chases is Paul gange (listed in the credits in the role of "Mike") despite the TCM website. Aprea is listed in the movie's credits as the killer, but also lists gange as Mike. Look the name up on IMDB and you can see from his photo that he is the guy Bullitt chases. Why John Aprea - at least 20 years younger than the killer in the movie - is credited as the killer, I have no idea. And I have no idea where in the movie Aprea really appeara.
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