The back of the DVD cover for Papillon reads: "Not just a great escape. It was the greatest." Well, it should be: "Not just a great Steve McQueen performance. It was the greatest." Yes, indeed so. It should have earned him an Oscar nomination and maybe the win. The strengths lie in Franklin Schaffner's direction and Dalton Trumbo's screenplay, both of them being the best in business.

Steve McQueen makes an unforgettable impression. There's something that makes him a unique actor. That's why he became a bona fide superstar, thanks to the motorcycle scenes. According to Steve McQueen: A Biography, it took John Sturges thirteen years to bring his pet project to the silver screen due to repeated rejections by MGM. Well, the timing is perfect for Steve McQueen to make the iconic jump.

"I'm workin' on my first million, and you're still workin' on eight seconds" is what Junior Bonner is all about. Not having to say much, Steve McQueen lets his facial expressions do the acting for him. That's why he was an underrated actor who graduated with honors from The Method school. J.R. Bonner is among his top characters. Abstract and poetic, Junior Bonner is the best rodeo cowboy picture made, capturing an authentic slice of Americana.

Bullitt is the most influential policier that would start off the wave of unique pictures such as Dirty Harry and The French Connnection. Steve McQueen founded Solar Productions, and its first film was Bullitt. His goal was to make a film that represented his vision, that is, as little dialogue as possible, a simple plot, a city setting, authentic location shots, high realism in police procedure, and the best car chase ever as the showpiece.

It's impossible to miss Steve McQueen in Hell Is for Heroes. If not for him, it would've been another bland war picture, even if it was directed by Don Siegel. It starts off awkwardly, but as soon as Steve McQueen appears, things change for the better. He brings credibility to the table by virtue of his Method acting. The ending, which is The Great Escape-like, puts the final stamp on it as a good movie.

The War Lover is exciting with a great deal of intensity. Steve McQueen's Buzz Rickson is to Tom Berenger's Sergeant Barnes as Robert Wagner's Ed Bolland is to Willem Dafoe's Sergeant Elias. The fierce rivalry between them is captivating, easily the best part of the show. I had to guess who was winning the race, and at the end, I think it's a tie.

The most haunting prediction is when Steve McQueen's character made a remark about skyscrapers leading to thousands of deaths if disaster struck. He turned out to be correct twenty-seven years later when the terrorists took down the Twin Towers of World Trade Center. Of course, it's a battle between him and Paul Newman. So, who won? I'll say Steve McQueen came out ahead by having better lines and a couple instances of exciting heroism.