4 Bullit
Steve McQueen is a genuine cinema legend for many reasons; sometimes criticised for only playing himself, Ebert describes performers like McQueen and his ilk (leading men of yesteryear like Bogart or Newman) arent actors exactly, but presences. McQueen was your textbook anti-hero and played to that type throughout most of his career (notable exception: The Thomas Crown Affair) but perhaps never better than in Bullit, Peter Yates classic police procedural. While Bullits actual plot may leave something to be desired this is remedied by some genuinely superb cinematography (which incidentally won Bullit a National Society of Film Critics Award) and the equally accomplished editing which is commonly lauded as some of the finest post production in cinema. Bullits iconic car chase scene is also commonly referred as the granddaddy of the modern chase sequence, equally as impressive for the innovative and realistic way in which it was shot as it is for the unique construction in the edit suite. If youre tracing action back to its roots, your list is lacking unless it features Bullit somewhere. Its Steve McQueen at, or at least near, his very finest!
Best bit: Anything featuring the legendary Ford Mustang GT.