Directed by Steven Spielberg
Written by Richard Matheson from his story
1971/USA
IMDb page
First viewing/Amazon Prime rental
One of 1,000 horror films on They Shoot Zombies, Don’t They?
David Mann: You can’t beat me on the grade. You can’t beat me on the grade!
I generally don’t review TV movies but this, Steven Spielberg’s feature-length debut, is too good to leave out.
David Mann (Dennis Weaver) is your average Joe trying to make a living, in his case as a traveling salesman. He is driving through remote desert terrain to make it to his next appointment, when he finds a 40-ton oil tanker just ahead of him. The tanker refuses to let him pass. Finally, David manages to do so and then it is all out war.
When it isn’t trying to block the traffic, the truck can drive at incredible speed – faster than David’s sedan. It (we never see the driver) is relentless. David tries to outsmart the truck. For a time he will, but the truck reappears just when he thought he was in the clear. Oh, how David needed a cell phone! I shall go no further.
Spielberg made this movie in 10 days and it looks like a million dollars. He would sub in a killer shark for the killer truck to great effect four years later. The suspense is real, Weaver is excellent, the stunt driving is unbelievable and I would recommend it to anyone interested in this kind of thing or to Spielberg completists.
Sounds great! I was seriously considering this one as one of my off-list movies for 71, but decided to go with Vanishing Point instead as they cover similar themes. I hope you are including that one. If it is not on your list, the I recommend adding it
Added!
I saw this the night it debuted on TV and remember everyone talking about it the next day. A film master was born. I love the way nothing is explained logically. This was picked up from his love of Hitchcock. Fun then and fun now
That’s a great memory there. Unfortunately, I had to wait almost 50 years!
I vividly remember seeing DUEL in cinema school. The film students were inspired. What a demonstration of talent on a low budget!
When you think that Spielberg was 25 in 1971 and Friedkin was 26, the simple fact that they could summon up the money and support to do what they did and the results they got are pretty astounding.
100% agree. It’s easy to fall into movie snobbery and lift your nose at “Ugh…made for TV…” and Duel shows why that is a mistake. This is such a basic and simple movie, but it works because of that, not despite it.
It was basic and simple but it got the suspense absolutely right and that’s the hardest part.