The Essential Steve McQueen Collection

The quintessence of “cool,” Steve McQueen was an iconic figure of ‘60s and ‘70s Hollywood, but his appeal transcended appearance and attitude: he was also a darned good actor, as the six films in this collection demonstrate. Bullitt (1968) is remembered today for its groundbreaking car chase shot on the streets of San Francisco, but it's also a first-rate cop thriller that represents McQueen at his laconic best. The Cincinnati Kid (1965) finds him heading an all-star cast in a vividly drawn tale of peripatetic card sharks gathering in New Orleans for The Big Game. Sam Peckinpah's The Getaway (1972) is notable not only for its gritty action but also for its characterization of McQueen as a true antihero, a bank robber on the lam with his sweetheart (Ali McGraw, who became his real-life wife). Never So Few (1959), an all-star World War II epic directed by John Sturges, actually starred Frank Sinatra, Gina Lollobrigida, and Peter Lawford, but it gave McQueen a plum supporting role that proved he could hold the screen with more established players. Papillon (1973), the lightly fictionalized story of a French convict--“The Butterfly”--who escaped from Devil's Island, gave McQueen the title role but paired him with Dustin Hoffman, whose colorful character very nearly stole the picture. Also drawn from real life was the story of Tom Horn (1980), a famous Wyoming bounty hunter who operated in the Wild West's waning days. What makes this collection so appealing is that in each of the six movies McQueen plays a strikingly different type of protagonist, enabling viewers to see various facets of his personality and appreciate the range of a truly fine performer. Boasting solid transfers, DVD extras are spread across the discs, and include audio commentary by director Peter Yates and two new documentaries on the actor and the editing in the double-disc Bullitt, and commentaries on The Getaway and The Cincinnati Kid, as well as vintage featurettes on the latter and on Papillon. Highly recommended. (E. Hulse)