Ultimate McQueen Movie

Rating: Null/10 (12 February 2004)

All his previous films seem to have been simply prelude, leading up to the movie that let Steve McQueen portray the ultimate non-conformist and give audiences Hollywood's greatest chase sequence up to that time (along with his later 1968 car chase in Bullitt, it still stands as a milestone).
I was a McQueen fan since his early days in Wanted: Dead or Alive. His character was unique, both in persona; a bounty hunter was/still is viewed with some disdain, but he turned Josh Randall into a moralist; and the gimmick hog leg Winchester he carried. Another viewer has already noted the unique series opening sequence with its initial camera zoom to McQueen's hip and the sawed off rifle, to his stride down the store front which ended with him ripping a wanted poster off the marshall's office bulletin board.
As a kid, I had an avid interest in motorcycles and especially in military aviation, while most of my friends were into hot rods. So 'The Great Escape' was my kind of movie. Having McQueen play Hilts was the ultimate icing to the cake.
But in 1963 McQueen had not yet reached the mega-star status he achieved after 'Bullitt' and his films of the 1970s so I was one of few people who followed his career closely. I was surprised then, when I met a very cute but shy girl in school who followed McQueen's career like other girls followed Elvis and the Beatles. She even had an autographed photo of him! We used to go see his films together at drive-ins and actually watch the entire movie!!! The Great Escape---great memories.