I’ve been watching Alcatraz on Fox since it debuted earlier this season.
One of the first things I noticed about the sci-fi/mystery show was that the female lead has a 68 Mustang made up to look just like the car Steve McQueen drove in Bullitt. With the female lead wheeling the car in every episode, and the show based in San Francisco, I’ve been hoping for some seriousa hill jumping, hubcap rolling action at some point.
Fortunately, it looks as if I’m going to get my wish during the season finale of Alcatraz which hits TV screens on March 26. If you’re not familiar with the old classic movie Bullitt, well, the film’s main chase scene is widely regarded as one of the best ever put to film, simply because the whole thing was real.
Steve McQueen really drove the Mustang; he was a serious car guy and was very comfortable doing his own stunts. The original scene had McQueen and the ’68 Mustang chasing bad guys in a Dodge Charger, ultimately ending in the death of the latter in a spectacular crash.
Truthfully, I’ve long wished they would remake Bullitt into something with the same epic and realistic chase scene, but as a better movie overall. And why not? I’ve never really liked the rest of the film and just skip to the chase scene every time.
The season finale of Alcatraz promises to include a nearly shot for shot recreation of the iconic scene. This virtually guarantees automotive out there will be watching if for no other reason than to see the chase. This time, however, we will see a a 2013 Mustang purusing the most recent Dodge Charger.
I can’t help but find it amusing that in Alcatraz, the good guys drive Fords, and the bad guys drive Dodge. On Hawaii Five-0, the bad guys drive Fords while the good guys drive GM. Hey, does anyone remember the cars in Blues Brothers?
