Plot hole: The movie is based on one huge plot hole: if it wasn't for the "professional" hitman's sloppy work, Bullitt and his team wouldn't have been needed for much. The hitman enters the hotel room, wounds the policeman, then shoots the target with one shotgun blast to his upper left shoulder area. Any hitman worth his fee knows that this is not likely to be an immediately fatal wound. The hitman had a pump shotgun and should have finished the job right then and there. Surely he had more than two shells. Instead, he sees the target is slumped unconscious, then leaves the hotel room without checking to see that his victim really is dead. Nothing seems to be immediately threatening the hit team, though. The hitman spends the rest of his life trying to finish his job and pays the ultimate price for being lazy.
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.
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: There are many stories on the internet claiming a cameraman was killed when the charger hits the camera during this chase. On the DVD extras, we see this scene from a different angle. The charger hits the camera and we see it break up, but there is no-one near the camera. Obviously the cameraman set the camera rolling, then retreated - smart guy.
Question: What happens at the end of this film? Was the man who was shot the real man, and who was that guy who McQueen shot at the end?
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Answer: The man shot at the hotel at the beginning is Renick. Ross assumed Renick's identity and was going to flee the country. Ross kills Mrs. Renick to keep her quiet. The man at the airport that Bullitt kills is Ross.
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