Duel (1971) (TV)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Steven Spielberg

Writers:

Richard Matheson (screenplay)
Richard Matheson (short story)

Release Date:

13 November 1971 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

A duel is about to begin between a man, a truck, and an open road. Where a simple battle of wits is now a matter of life and death.

Plot:

A business commuter is pursued and terrorized by a malevolent driver of a massive tractor-trailer.

Plot Keywords:

Truck | Road | Truck Driver | Desert | California

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Dennis Weaver	...	David Mann
Eddie Firestone	...	Cafe Owner
Gene Dynarski	...	Man in Cafe
Tim Herbert	...	Gas Station Attendant
Charles Seel	...	Old Man
Alexander Lockwood	...	Old Man in Car
Amy Douglass	...	Old Woman in Car
Shirley O'Hara	...	Waitress
Lucille Benson	...	Lady at Snakerama
Carey Loftin	...	The Truck Driver (as Cary Loftin)
Dale Van Sickel	...	Car Driver (as Dale Van Sickle)

Also Known As:

Belâ (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Duel (France) [fr]
Duell (West Germany) [de]
Duellen (Sweden) [sv]
El diablo sobre ruedas (Spain) [es]
Encurralado (Brazil) [pt]
Fasans kilometrar (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
Kauhun kilometrit (Finland) [fi]
Monomahia (Greece) (theatrical title) [el]
Párbaj (Hungary) [hu]
Pojedynek na szosie (Poland) [pl]
Terror bak rattet (Norway) [no]
Um Assassino pelas Costas (Portugal) [pt]

Runtime:

90 min | USA:74 min (original version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:PG (1984) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Brazil:12 | Italy:VM14 (DVD rating) | UK:PG (video rating) | Australia:PG | Norway:12 | Sweden:11 | UK:AA (original rating) | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Finland:S (1996) | Finland:K-16 (1973) | Finland:K-12 (1984)

Filming Locations:

Acton, California, USA

Company:

Universal TV

Trivia:

There are seventeen notches on the headlights of the truck.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Mann's car starts acting up you can see someone (Spielberg himself per various sources) in the backseat of his car in the rear-view mirror.

Quotes:

David Mann: That truck driver's crazy, he's been trying to kill me, I mean it!
Bus Driver: Well, mister, if I was to vote on who's crazy around here, it'd be you.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2009) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Passing The Truck

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

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.