Fear is the driving force! What begins as an ordinary business trip becomes a terrifying life and death battle for David Mann (Dennis Weaver). Initially Mann refuses to believe he is being followed by a huge diesel truck but soon the unbelievable horror of the situation sinks in. He realises that the driver of the truck an unseen and menacing psychopath is indeed out to kill him... 'Duel' the classic early film from Steven Spielberg that brought him to the attention of t
I've watched this made for TV debut from Steven Spielberg at various intervals across my life from bright eyed infant through to rebellious teenager, university geek and mature adult and find this marvel to be just as gripping as the first time I laid eyes on it. It's just about perfect as simply a rivetingly murderous game of cat and mouse that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The tension is so palpable that whenever you're on the road again and you see a tanker on your tail, your feelings will never be the same again!
David Mann played by everybody's favourite dad from Gentle Ben fame, Dennis Weaver is a salesman driving along a highway trying to visit a client to save an account who gradually learns that he's being relentlessly pursued and toyed with by a monster of a tanker without any motivation or explanation.
In many ways this is a classic Hitchcock-style masterpiece that the maestro himself would have been proud of directing. Shot entirely on location, the camera angles lend excessive weight to the film and Dennis Weaver as a panic stricken and tormented city slicker reminds you of his wonderful performance as the Mirador Night Motel manager in A Touch of Evil. But the real star of the movie is the tanker itself, perfectly cast from amongst a dozen other juggernauts. It has its own face and character. Wee see little of the driver which adds to the air of mystery, other than his arm egging Mann on as he encourages him to pass the tanker, or when we see his cowboy boots as he walks to check his vehicle.
The highway is seen as a lonely environment with only a few people about who are too alien to even bother to assist this out-of-towner - in one scene when Mann is nearly run off the road and suffers from whiplash, the crowd in the diner laugh at our hero's predicament and it only adds to the isolation of the character. No one is willing to really help. Mann really tries everything to sort out the situation but he is met with resistance at every turn. he comes across a broken down school bus full of children who are too pre-occupied in their own excitement to be worried about Mann or the owner of a gas station worried about her pet rattlesnakes and other reptiles who've been cut loose by the might tanker on the rampage rather than assisting our hapless Mann.
Spielberg thinks of every avenue for the character to try to escape from the jaws of the tanker as well as every conceivable nightmare that could possibly face Mann such as having his car shunted into an oncoming cargo train at a level crossing. Yes, he's borrowed from the likes of Hitchcock and an entire scene that's reminiscent of Kurosawa's Stray Dog where a we hear the inner thoughts of a paranoid and whip lashed Mann trying to deduce which one of the diners where he's sat is the murderous driver of the tanker.
It's amazing that with imply one good guy in Mann and a bad guy in the tanker, that Spielberg is able to create great depth in character. We learn substantially about Mann's family life and his city sensibilities. There is a magnificent scene that I've already eluded on, whereby a school bus is stranded and we see the tanker show its good side by aiding the school bus to jump start with a simple push but there is no such clemency or mercy for Mann.
The opening shots of Mann's POV leaving his house on the road and slowly departing the city with the traffic becoming less and less is haunting until he is the only vehicle on the road for miles. Duel wastes little time in sidetracking from the battle between David and Goliath. Even when Mann has a conversation with his wife on a payphone, the shot is carefully crafted so you still see the tanker in the background. If there is any criticism it is that the Kurosawa-like voiceover of Mann's inner thoughts as he tries to decided who the driver of the tanker is and what to do about him is a little on the long side.
It's absolutely incredible that the film feels like a horror movie and yet there is no night scene. Credit must go to the music composer who creates a spooky and eerie score that sounds like it was made from the grimy bits of ancient metal that form the parts of the tanker. The camerawork clearly heightens the suspense on literally every single shot. It's simply relentless from start to finish. This is a must-see timeless classic!
This is one of Steven Spielberg's early films. The whole film was shot on site, with real vehicles and actors. Spielberg's first attempt at suspense is fascinating. Throughout the film you will be sitting on the edge of your seat.
The huge supercharged truck weighs over 20,000 lb, with horsepower at 300 gross at 2100 RPM. The victim's car has a top speed over only 116 Mph, no match for the lorry.
This truck is more menacing than any flesh eating monsters. With number plates taken from previous victims placed on the front bumper as souvenirs, the truck driver tries to run the driver off the road.
You will never see the face of the psycho throughout the movie, making him even more menacing.
This film is one of the best suspense/horror films i have ever seen. Although it may look slightly dated now, it still leaves you clutching the seat in terror.
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Driving down a deserted Southern California highway at a safe and sane 55 miles per hour, David Mann (Dennis Weaver) steps on the pedal to pass a large gas trailer truck. Moments later, the truck is back, dangerously tailgating Mann before abruptly cutting him off. For the next 90 minutes, Mann and the never-seen truckdriver are pitted against one another in a motorized duel to the death. Author Richard Matheson conceived Duel after a similar experience with a reckless trucker.
Businessman David Mann (Dennis Weaver) is driving on a lonely stretch of highway when he notices that he is being followed by a huge, menacing diesel truck. The truck then starts trying to push him off the road, and despite Mann's attempts to defuse the situation, it soon has him engaged in a punishing duel to the death. Originally made for American television but given a cinema release in the UK, this was director Steven Spielberg's feature debut.
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