Yep it’s pretty much official January 2011 sucks the big one. First Pete Postlethwaite, then Gerry Rafferty followed by boxer Gary Mason and now film director Peter Yates. Ok, Yates may have been aged 82 but by today’s standards that’s still quite young…at least that’s what we’re maintaining.

Yates was of course responsible for one of the greatest detective movies/car chases in cinematic history with Bullitt, a film which pretty much introduced the world to Steve ‘the cooler king‘ McQueen. He also directed the underrated sci-fi fantasy Krull, the Nick Nolte thriller The Deep, which was a big box office success on account of it’s opening shot featuring actress Jacqueline Bisset underwater in a white see-through t-shirt, and the gritty cult 70s crime noir flick The Friends Of Eddie Coyle, which starred Robert Mitchum, which if you haven’t seen, (probably because it’s currently unavailable in the UK), you should make a point of seeking out. In honour of Peter Yates here’s that infamous car chase in it’s entirity along with trailers for his aforementioned other films.

Bullitt – 1968

Krull – 1983

The Deep – 1977

The Friends Of Eddie Coyle – 1973

Yates, you old sea dog you.