Duel (1971 TV Movie) User Reviews

A Genius Is Born

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 12 May 2007]

While traveling through the desert for an appointment with a client, the businessman David Mann (Dennis Weaver) from California passes a slow and old tanker truck. The psychotic truck driver feels offended and chases David along the empty highway trying to kill him.

In the 70's, in Rio de Janeiro, most of the teenagers like me watched the impressive movie of a new and promising director called Steven Spielberg. On the beach, in school, in bars, everybody in Rio commented the story of a crazy truck driver that chases a common man in his car along the lonely roads through the desert. Thirty-six years later, I have just watched "Duel" on DVD with my son and it is fantastic to see how this movie has not aged. The tense and suspenseful story consists basically of a storyline, without development of characters, one actor, two stunts, lots of action and a magnificent work of direction and edition. One amazing detail is that all the afflictive and credible situation happens on the day light, i.e., Spielberg does not need to use the usual fear of the night to create a stunning tale of horror and fear, showing his talent of genius in his worldwide debut. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Encurralado" ("Trapped")

Intense!

[Mr-Fusion · 8/10 · 18 March 2015]

The idea of a motorist getting terrorized on the highway feels like it's been done to death in the last four decades, but I'll be damned if "Duel" doesn't feel fresh. You get the idea how this will all play out - 18-wheeler stalks Dennis Weaver, puts the guy through psychological torment, vanishes only to reappear - but Spielberg keeps up that unrelenting dread beautifully with creative use of sound and camera panes around the tanker that really give it size. What's impressive here is that a big rig has such evil personality. Even more impressive is that such a taut thriller was made for TV.

This is obscenely enjoyable stuff.

8/10

Just When You Thought It Was Safe to Go Back on the Highways...

[Don-102 · 8/10 · 4 April 1999]

DUEL is Spielberg's JAWS of the highway, a raucous nascar race of a film that was "made for TV". Usually, the phrase made-for-TV makes me ill, but Universal TV executives had no clue what they had here. It was so good, the film got its fitting recognition in Europe, where it was released theatrically. Spielberg's own idol, director David Lean, praised the film's suspense and excitement. A testimonial from Sir David Lean is enough to get any career going. DUEL begins from the point of view of a driver, and never lets up. The fear Dennis Weaver encounters consists not only of the monster truck itself, which is on an unexpected death chase, but of the inability to see who (or what) is behind the wheel.

It seemed like a great episode of THE TWILIGHT ZONE, and Rod Serling would've been proud. Speed kills and you may never pass a slow truck on the highway again after seeing this. There is no character development, no humor, no identifiable characters, but in this case, who cares? It is only 90 minutes long and Spielberg's goal is to make you tired. To make you experience what this everyday salesman is going through for NO apparent reason. Besides a shark in the ocean, I really can't think of another more frightful situation to be in.

The truck itself is sinister looking, almost resembling one from RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. The only remnant of a human being in the truck is an arm. The arm waves much like the hitch-hiker in the famous TWILIGHT ZONE episode. Weaver is cheesy and silly looking in his Peter Fonda-esque shades, but it is a sign of the times. You don't necessarily find yourself rooting for him to escape alive. Basically, you are held prisoner by Spielberg's web of suspense, and stay wide-eyed the entire time. Great fun to watch on big or small screen.

RATING: 8 of 10

The TV movie that was a true cinematic experience.

[SmileysWorld · 9/10 · 16 May 2005]

I can recall vividly watching this movie as an ABC movie of the week at the tender age of six.Very few movies at that time in my life had the ability to captivate me.Duel was one of the fortunate few.We have a mild mannered businessman,excellently played by Dennis Weaver,on his way to a very important appointment.Suddenly,there is trouble ahead in the form of a ruthless tanker truck driver.For unexplained reasons,the truck driver singles out David Mann(Weaver)as the recipient of whatever rage and torment possesses him.Along the way,we have an apparently unsympathetic diner crowd,among whom this mad truck driver may have mixed in with while David was freshening up in the diner's restroom.Which one of them is it?Did he ever come in at all?Did he just linger outside,adding to David's torment?Then,there is the lady at the Snakerama,whose reptile displays are leveled when the truck driver realizes that David is trying to notify police in her phone booth.David ends up searching for strength he's not sure he possesses in order to combat this unseen menace.I love the idea of the driver never being seen,as the unseen is often more frightening than what is thrown in our face.This film may have been made for television,but it played like something you would see in a movie theater.I understand that it was in fact,released in theaters in England later on after Spielberg added some more footage.I am envious that they got to see this Hitchcock like thriller on the big screen.I consider it a grand edition to my DVD library.Great stuff.

2/28/2006 R.I.P. Dennis Weaver (1924-2006)

This one is a classic road rage movie, absolute thrilling

[cseabhi · 7/10 · 11 September 2020]

Its just about a road and two vehiciles but Steven Spielberg is a genius who made this simple story a thrilling journey. It was a treat to watch.

An Amazing Cinematic Achievement

[Scars_Remain · 10/10 · 26 January 2008]

I remember seeing this movie when I was younger with my mom and it terrified me. A little older now, almost 20, I found this film for cheap at Borders and just had to pick it up. It is still very terrifying to this day. Steven Spielberg directs and Richard Matheson writes, that is honestly as good as it gets. If you want terror, see this movie as soon as possible.

It truly is a shame that the majority of horror/suspense films use so much CGI to rely on scares these days. This is one of the most terrifying films ever made and it only relies on a car, an old truck and the open road. I wish movies today would at least for this kind of suspense. Duel truly mastered it.

The story is simple but amazing. A man traveling for a business meeting is terrorized by a truck driver who intentions are to kill him. Dennis Weaver's performance is spot on and his character is brilliant. The cinematography is breath taking. Everything about this movie will keep you on the edge of your seat until the credits begin to roll.

I think this is Spielberg's best film and fans of his films will definitely enjoy this piece of horror/suspense. Don't go too much longer without seeing it.

Sometimes you just have to get the hell out of the way!

[michaelRokeefe · 7/10 · 29 September 2000]

Director Steven Spielberg made the big leagues with this piece of suspense. A traveling salesman(Dennis Weaver) is traveling along a lonely highway, when he notices there is a huge "big rig" following him. It is not his imagination that this massive truck-trailer is not only tailgating him, but is trying to run him off the road. Every chance he gets to allude his terrorist on wheels, the rolling menace appears again in his rear view mirror...again getting closer and closer.

The tension is spell binding. This is Weaver's best performance. Also in the cast are: Jacqueline Scott, Lucille Benson and Carey Loftin.

Spielberg's feature-debut is a cat and mouse classic

[Quinoa1984 · 10/10 · 10 July 2000]

Seeing this film again I'm struck by how much first-time (on a film of this length) director Steven Spielberg is able to do with so little. He's basically making a movie in the Roger Corman vein, with little budget, but cart blanche on such a small expectations for a TV movie-of-the-week to do whatever he sees fit to make the film. One could equate the final result of Duel, from a sincerely gripping script by Richard Matheson, to what would come from Robert Rodriguez 10 years after; it shows what can be done to create excitement on limited resources, and in a fresh way. His star, Dennis Weaver, doesn't have to act so much as react, to the very terror that his quasi-mouse form is to the cat that is the giant gasoline truck following him down in the desert. There is no real plot as much as it is visual storytelling, of the tension that builds and builds as this truck gets meaner and more ruthless in its pursuit of this little red car. Spielberg, in going on his first try as director, is surprisingly successful in throwing in everything and a hat to ensure he gets the right angles, sometimes quite unconventional (i.e. many of the interior close-ups on Weaver and on the vehicles). Like Jaws, it's a film by someone who may be reckless with what he's got to film the script, but its done with such an intensity that you might forget how its aged. In fact, like Jaws and other Spielberg thrillers, I would put it to viewers to see how this does hold up over time, even more amazing considering its made-for-TV stance. And lets face it, some of these scenes are just a lot of fun (who isn't grinning during the moment when Weaver is in a rush to push the bus forward and almost gets crushed).

jaws on the road

[Gjay2 · 7/10 · 26 March 2003]

duel is a brilliant piece of film-making, from the guy who later became a legend, steven spielberg. His use of camera angles, editing, and open and closed spaces build up a great amount of tension and claustrophobia. And there is only so much you can with a story of this small scale, but spielberg rings out every technique in the book to deliver a thrilling, heartracing adventure on the road. There are few major set pieces, but when they do occur, they could put anyone on the edge of their seat.

The roads, and scenery are stunning, and the locations are perfect for the tone of the story. Yes, towards the grand finale, it slackens. The final battle between truck and car goes on far too long. It loses me everytime. But it's just a minor flaw in an otherwise great 90 minutes.

Hail on to the Truck driver ... truck driver FREAK!!

[Coventry · 10/10 · 8 October 2004]

Steven Spielberg's first long feature film (sort of) may only just be a TV-movie, its influence, impact and entertainment value overwhelms the majority of big screen productions. The brilliance lies in the simple plot and the complete lack of background information you're denied. The film is a powerful collaboration between the superb writing skills of Richard Matheson (The Incredible Shrinking Man), the stunningly sublime cinematography by Jack Marta and the over talented vision of Steven Spielberg as a director. Duel easily is one of the ONLY movies ever made that'll keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning till end. What begins as an average day for salesman David Mann quickly turns into a merciless showdown between himself and a seemly driverless truck somewhere in a nearly forsaken countryside. The eerie shots of a giant, boisterous and filthy-looking truck versus the classy red Plymouth Valiant are the most tense road-rage images I ever beheld and they're guaranteed to make your blood pump faster!

The film is terrifically cut in half when the protagonist stops a roadside restaurant to analyze his uncanny situation. While recovering from the previous assault, Mann notices that the monstrous truck is also parked outside the diner so one of the unfriendly guests present there more than likely is his assaulter. This sequence, brilliantly illustrated by pan camera movements and atmospheric voice over sound, perfectly proves how an amazing director Spielberg is. Especially when you bear in mind he only was 26 at the time Duel was released and he mostly worked with a crew of veteran filmmakers. This simply is one of the most action-filled movies ever made and a timeless classic. THIS is how we like to see Spielberg! Giant monstrosity! Filthy trucks or man-eating sharks…not the over-sentimental and melodramatic crap he's delivering nowadays.

Simple idea, great execution.

[tomimt · 7/10 · 4 March 2006]

If you take Duel as it is, you'll get a nicely directed thriller, where a truck driver tries his best to scare the living day light out of a poor David Mann (Dennis Weaver). That's it. Perioid.

Dennis Weaver is the only actor we mostly see during the film. There are couple of stops, where we see other people as well, but mainly the film is hanging on the shoulders of Weaver and that huge, corroded truck trailing his car across the desert. It all starts, when he decides to overtake smelly fumes pushing truck, which leads to a cat and mouse play. Spielberg doesn't show us the trucker, nor does he give any direct hints on why the driver does what he does. We can only guess the real reason for his behaviour.

There have been many movies like this, but I presume Duel was, if not the first, at least among the first dirty trucker tries to kill someone films. At least, if it isn't among the first ones, at least it's clearly among the better ones of the genre.

Fun The First Time; Stupid After That

[ccthemovieman-1 · 5/10 · 1 May 2006]

The first time I saw this, years ago, I thought it was pretty cool. The second time I saw it, when I began collecting VHS tapes, the more it frustrated me and I found it annoying.

Dennis Weaver plays a man stalked by a faceless person driving a big semi-trailer truck. That's basically the story. The credibility problem is that Weaver lets himself get terrorized instead of simply turning around and going home (hello??!!) or at least making sure the cops were with him. No, he just keeps going and keeps getting terrorized...... which is past being an insult to any viewer with a brain.

Despite the stupidity, the film gets you involved you can't help but watch it all the way through. But don't make the mistake of thinking this will be good on the second viewing. Once is plenty.

One Helluva Ride

[Sargebri · 1 September 2003]

This film proves that television can produce a quality film. Much like Spielberg's first big theatrical hit, "Jaws", this film deals with a menace, the driver, that is pretty much unseen for most of the film. It also preys upon our fear of being caught in a desperate situation with no one around to help. Also, Dennis Weaver was perfectly cast as the unfortunate motorist that happens to be the prey of a psychotic truck driver. This definitely is a far cry from Weaver's most famous role of Marshall Sam McCloud, who was the typical hero compared to the terrified motorist he plays in this film. Too bad that we here in the United States never got a chance to see this great film in a theater like the rest of the world. This is definitely a classic suspense film.

American ( A+ Movie) My Ratings 8.5 /10

[THE-BEACON-OF-MOVIES-RAFA · 8/10 · 23 February 2021]

A brilliant study in minimalist suspense and terror

This film is the perfect example that you don't need a gigantic budget, sound names, great publicity or a little push from someone famous to create a cult classic. All it takes is talent and Spielberg has repeatedly shown us that he has plenty of it. It was filmed in a modest budget, the characters hardly talk and the plot is quite simple: it is the story of a man being chased in a highway by an truck. However it was filmed in such a way that it literally sticks you to the screen, never being boring for one second. The truck (not the driver) is the main protagonist of the story, a menacing character who chases a man to death for no particular reason. It plays marveously with our most intimate fear: the unknown. An absolute must see, a cult classic. this is a unique film.

One of the earliest and of the best SS movies

[jason_13 · 10/10 · 20 September 2005]

Duel is a movie that entertains from beginning to the end only if you don't like only movies with complicated plots. It is one hell of a ride through a USA highway. David Mann is the main character who is driving his car not suspecting what is going to happen. He has a family and he is a happy man as well. At least from what we see before the nightmare. And the nightmare is one truck. No monsters, aliens or something scary but fictional. It is a truck whose driver, is a killer and he chooses David for killing purposes. The truck is very fast and scary looking but it is completely real and it stalks David, everywhere, he goes. The greatness, is that it entertains with something that could be understood by a 4 years old. It is one of the very firs movies of Steven Spielberg. The movie is also TV kind but that is not a big problem cause Duel wins another prize:"Best TV movie ever made". It has been nominated for Golden Globe and everybody here at the IMDb, loves it. Full of action and suspense, Duel gives you a notion what does a "mad driver" really means.

Road rage...Spielberg and Matheson style!

[moonspinner55 · 6/10 · 6 August 2016]

Early effort from director Steven Spielberg, here working with writer Richard Matheson on this television thriller about an innocent motorist on the southern California mountain highways locked in a cat-and-mouse game of one-upmanship with the unseen driver of a gasoline truck. Film is so deftly assured visually--and so brilliantly assembled technically--that Universal rather belatedly gave the movie a much-deserved theatrical run. It is clearly superior to other TV-movies from this era, albeit one which is thinly-derived from its source (Matheson's own short story). Dennis Weaver's Everyman is meant to mirror us in the audience: the not-guilty who sometimes get in over our heads despite our best efforts to do the right thing. Weaver fits the bill, though his twangy voice and paranoid tics (not to mention his nervous hands on the nervous steering wheel) are apt to drive most viewers up the wall even before the character gets fed up. All technical aspects of the film are top-notch, yet it does seem elongated, even at its original 74 minute running time.

Turnpike Tag

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 21 November 2014]

Although Dennis Weaver is probably best known for his two small screen TV series McCloud and Gunsmoke, there are those that hold out for his career role being the frightened and harassed driver in Duel.

Some years ago I was with two friends and a passenger in a car going on the Thruway in Upstate New York. Some idiot truckdriver thought we had offended him some how and chased us through several miles. We eluded him by going into a service station and driving around until he could not maneuver that big rig. I know exactly what Dennis Weaver was going through.

Weaver plays Mr. Average man on his way home from a business trip when some how he offends a faceless truckdriver whom we never see, but whose power behind that tanker truck we definitely feel right along with Weaver. Unless you're driving a bus you are no position to play turnpike tag with a big rig.

In the end Weaver decides he's so mad he stops being frightened and looks to take him down any way he can.

Weaver's performance is a one man tour de force. As much as Spencer Tracy in The Old Man And The Sea. One not to be missed.

A thrilling, intense and suspenseful ride that doesn't let up

[Kysugo · 7/10 · 17 February 2024]

Duel is a thrilling, intense and suspenseful ride that doesn't let up. The story is simple: a trucker gets upset at a guy in a car then proceeds to terrorize and bully the guy for the rest of the movie. What makes it interesting and gripping is the way Spielberg chooses to shoot and execute the movie. Spielberg films Duel with a deft eye. You can see him experimenting and using the camera in creative ways. The camera is very interactive, acting almost like a third character. Watching this movie, you would never think it was Spielberg at the helm, but it is. This movie builds on the paranoia and fear one might feel if they went through a similar experience.

The worst part is that there doesn't really seem to be an explanation why the trucker is behaving in such an erratic and aggressive way towards the guy in the car. It's almost like he's bullying him, toying with him out of simple road rage. That was funny how the tanker ends up helping the school bus that was stuck. Shows a kind of compassionate, human side to the tanker. It's interesting how throughout the whole movie we never see who's driving the tanker. It's almost like the truck is an entity that drives itself. The truck is the monster. That slow-mo crash during the climax of the movie was amazing.

I like how they also showcase the beautifully dry and arid side of California. I think I recognized some of the filming locations based on GTA V. I think they filmed out around the area where Trevor lives. The premise and story is very simple, but it's the different interpretations and ideas that one can put on the movie that makes it interesting. Is it a statement on social classes? White collared vs. Blue collared? Is it a statement on road rage, unchecked aggression and masculinity? I think it warrants a second watch. I recommend this movie.

Classy chase and intrigue thriller being the first movie directed by the great Steven Spielberg

[ma-cortes · 8/10 · 20 March 2019]

Steven Spielberg first movie, with fine performance from Dennis Weaver , giving one of his best ones as a driver who is at first harried and eventually horrified by a large truck. It results to be a fascinating killer game of the classic chase of the cat and mouse. A top-notch made for TV picture, concerning a relentless pursuit, including a provoking and relentless exercice in paranoia. It deals with a commuter businessman who is repeatedly threatened and attacked by an massive, huge trailer on an open desert highway. Along the way, the starring cannot see the face of the driver of the giant truck.

Spendid thriller originally made for TV plenty of thrills, chills, breathtaking chases, suspense, and many other things. There are not motivations, no explanations, except perhaps for a hint of allegory in the screenline and a tense visual suggestion about the ancient fight between the vulnerable, prancing knight and the lumbering, nasty dragon. Dennis Weaver, only protagonist, delivers a nice acting as a docile traveling salesman who takes on a malevolant juggerneaut, an ominous tractor-trailer causing wreak havoc.

It contains a nail-biting and suspenseful musical score by Billy Goldenberg. As well as a colorful and adequate cinematography by Jack Marta . Based on a story and screenplay by the prestigious novelist and screenwriter Richard Matheson. The motion picture was very well and superbly directed by Spielberg, being his Film debut. And while in US premiered in Television, it was released threatically in Europe . Here Steven maintains the whole nightmarish situation at total tension and fever pitch. Spielberg successful film to be continued by a series of hits, such as : Sugarland express, Jaws, Close encounters in third phase , Raiders of the lost ark, ET, The color purple, Amazing stories, Empire of the sun, Hook, Jurassik Park, Amistad, Schindler list, Lost world, A. I. , Minority report, The terminal, Munich, War of the words, Indiana Jones and the last crusade and many others. Rating : Notable, better than average, 7.5/10. An absolute cracker that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Thrilling Ride

[Tweetienator · 7/10 · 27 May 2022]

Duel is one of those movies that proof that you can produce with little a good, suspenseful and entertaining movie. If I am in mood I still put Duel from time to time on my plate. For everyone interested in the works of Mr. Spielberg, Duel is a must-watch - this little flick was the first sign of fantastic things still to come. Still good.

Way too slow, way too long

[room102 · 4/10 · 12 October 2016]

Steven Spielberg's first feature movie.

The premise is extremely simple: A truck driver from hell is following a private car's driver in the middle of nowhere and doing everything he can to make his life miserable.

I'm not sure if it was inspired by any previous movie, but I do think it has inspired movies that came after it, such as THE CAR (1977) and NEVER PLAY WITH STRANGERS (2001).

While there are some good scenes and good tension, the movie is extremely slow and way too repetitive. It could have hold a 15 minutes film, but not 96 minutes. I found myself using the fast-forward button way too many times without losing any scene.

The truck driver is given no reason or motivation to do what he does and the movie ends without getting an answer to that, and that's fine, I guess. IIRC, The Car was supernatural without an actual driver, which may and may not give a better "reason" to this homicidal behavior.

The ultimate car chase movie...

[keihan · 9 August 2000]

Leave it to prosemaster extraordinaire, Richard Matheson (a favorite of mine and the man Stephen King acknowledges as being his biggest influence), to come up a premise so simple yet so believable and terrifying that the viewer will never look at an eighteen-wheeler the same way ever again...and leave it to cinematic wunderkind, Stephen Spielburg, to do right by Matheson's script and win acclaim in the bargain.

Though some may argue that "Bullit", "Vanishing Point", or maybe even the original "Gone in 60 Seconds" could be called the ultimate car chase movie, "Duel" deserves this designation better because it does something none of the above films can claim. The story literally starts on the road and ends on the road. No location in the entire film is ever out of sight of the highway and, in spite of the brief conversation with the wife, virtually nothing else happens outside the highway. For David Mann (played adequately enough by Dennis Weaver) and the monster truck he's trying to get away from, the road and everything alongside it is their entire universe. Nothing else of importance exists outside of it.

Though it's never mentioned in the film, this would seem to take place on the California highways. When I went out there about eight years ago, I went down roads that seemed to be not too dissimiliar to the ones shown here. They seemed to stretch on forever, no vestiges of civilization in sight for miles. Spielburg uses this setting to great advantage. Being in your car in a crowded city intersection is one thing, but on those highways with nothing but your car and a homicidal maniac in a diesel for miles? The isolation factor that cars naturally produce jumps up a thousand percent. The radiator hose problem made me think of many other times that I had similar troubles with cars I've had. Of course, I never had someone trying to kill me at the time, but...

Anyone looking for drama, character development, or all the other elements that pseudo-critics point out as the mark of cinematic excellence are liable to be disappointed by "Duel". It's what King described in "Danse Macabre" as a Tale of the Hook. It's only purpose is to scare the hell out of you. Damn if it doesn't work. THAT'S the mark of a classic.

Effective Thriller With A Few Minor Problems And One Major One

[Theo Robertson · 6/10 · 17 January 2005]

As made for television movies go DUEL is an absolute legend . It's possibly a little overrated in my opinion but thank goodness it doesn't revolve around Jane Seymour or Victoria Principal nursing a sick child . It is of course the movie that kick started the career of Steven Spielberg and you do wonder slightly if this had been directed by A.N Other would the TVM be so well remembered today ? Would it also be obtuse to say that much of the acclaim should be heaped upon Richard Matheson's script that brings up subconscious fears about traveling through strange rural territory ?

There are a few flaws to the movie ,like it's never explained why Mr truck driver is making life hell for David Mann but I guess this reflects life since so much grief in the world is carried out without motive or reason . There are a few shots where it's painfully obvious that the vehicles aren't traveling more than about 10 MPH but let's not forget this is a TVM with a limited budget and a debut director . Come to think of it why did Spielberg stop making thrillers like this and JAWS and concentrated on sentimental crap like ET and THE TERMINAL ? DUEL is as thought provoking and as exciting as anything on his resume so I can forgive any flaws this debut has . All except one - The lead actor . I'm sorry but Dennis Weaver is awful , he just doesn't have the range or ability to portray David Mann convincingly . Mann that's his name , think about it he's everyman driving along a desert highway , he finds himself in an alien landscape with no friends and someone who wants to do him serious harm . Both the director and scriptwriter know the character and the actor playing him carries the whole movie but Weaver drags the whole scenario down somewhat especially the paranoid voice over scenes in the diner . Weaver doesn't ruin the movie as such but his performance stops DUEL from the classic many critics claim it is and if it wasn't for the director and the tight script this TVM may well have been instantly forgotten

Brilliant

[gbill-74877 · 8/10 · 12 November 2023]

"Well, you never know. You just never know. You just go along figuring some things don't change, ever. Like being able to drive on a public highway without somebody trying to murder you. And then one stupid thing happens. Twenty, twenty-five minutes out of your whole life, and all the ropes that kept you hangin' in there get cut loose. And it's like, there you are, right back in the jungle again."

I love the simplicity of Steven Spielberg's first film, which has a businessman out on a road trip unwittingly being drawn into a deadly game of cat and mouse with a malevolent truck driver. Everything about the rusty tanker truck seems ominous, with its faceless driver and it belching foul smoke. Meanwhile, I'd guess just about everyone who's ever driven can probably identify the businessman, suddenly confronted with senseless acts from another driver and mounting road rage.

Aside from continuous escalation in danger from what the truck driver does, there is also a wonderful sense of the businessman being an outsider with everyone he comes across out in the middle of nowhere, as he gets stares from the good ol' boys in the roadside restaurant, tongues stuck out at him by the kids in the back of a school bus, and looks that question his sanity from an old couple he tries to flag down.

With creative angles, vantage points, and framing, Spielberg added to the tension, and kept a simple story feeling vibrant for its full runtime. Contrary to a lot of the cutesy type things he would often employ in his later films, this one is all grit, and channels Hitchcock in this innocent guy being caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, and suddenly subject to hostile forces in the world. The film will also remind you of the Australian film Roadgames (1981) if you've seen it, which clearly owes a debt to Duel, though it reversed the car/truck driver roles. Great stuff, especially for a first film, and under constraints.

What a mothertrucker!

[BA_Harrison · 6/10 · 5 April 2013]

Henpecked husband and over-worked businessman David Mann (Dennis Weaver) drives cross-desert to an appointment he never keeps thanks to the unwelcome intervention of a maniacal truck driver (Cary Loftin) who is determined to force him off the road.

Steven Spielberg displays all the confidence of a seasoned pro for his full-length directorial feature Duel, clearly determined to make his mark by wringing every last possible drop of tension from his simple set-up. Unfortunately, he often wrings just a bit too hard, unnecessarily labouring scenes that would benefit from being much shorter. The establishing shots on the open road drive home the mundanity of a long distance car journey a little too effectively, a Hitchcockian scene in a café goes on and on with little purpose, and the final showdown is flogged for all it is worth.

As it stands, Duel is a reasonable enough little thriller, but would have been a far more gripping experience if it hadn't tried to stretch out Richard Matheson's original short story quite so far.