Movie Review: Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool

Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool 

The Greif Company, Thinkfactory Media, USA, 2005.

Bullitt Special Edition DVD contained two documentaries that deserve their own posts.

In the documentary "Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool" Steve McQueen's ex-wife Neile Adams, friends, co-actors and admirers tell about Steve and his career. Steve McQueen (1930-1980) built his film career playing tough and charismatic characters and earned the nickname 'The King of Cool.'

After serving in the U.S. Marines he pursued theatre career to meet girls. Starting with TV-Westerns he began getting small roles in movies where he made some jests to make himself noticed. Steve's troubled childhood had made him a survivor and wanted to see if his friends were trustworthy.  Bad boy reputation gave him nickname 'El Bandido.' He built a tough guy image to shelter himself from the people who tried to use him.

Being a thrill-seeker he become interested in motorcycles and racing earning respect from professional racers. He also wanted to do as much of the driving stunts as was possible. However after success of "Bullitt" he bwgan to change and became arrogant. His marriage with Adams began to suffer because he was having extra-marital affairs and using drugs. Still the documentary shows that they remained friends after the divorce. Despite some career setbacks he maintained his star status until the end.

It is an interesting documentary with good trivia. Outside his films, I didn't know much about his life beforehand so it gave useful information. The highlights of his career are respectfully told without forgetting the negative aspects of his life. Technically it is a well-made documentary with insightful interviews and multiple clips from his movies. Recommended for fans of McQueen and those interested in film history.

Rating: Very good

Interviewees: Steve McQueen (archive footage), Robert Culp, Neile Adams, Suzanne Pleshette, Martin Landau, Hillard Elkins, Don Gordon, David Foster, Robert E. Relyea, Lawrence Kasdan, Walter Mirisch, Robert Vaughn, Eli Wallach, Richard Attenborough, Bud Ekins, Charles Champlin, Pat E. Johnson, Loren Janes, William Claxton, Norman Jewison, Chad McQueen, Haskell Wexler, Peter Yates, Bill Hickman, Mario Iscovich, Alec Baldwin, Katherine Haber, Barbara Minty, LeVar Burton 

Director: Mimi Freedman