Duel (1971) (TV)

Director:

Steven Spielberg

Writers:

Richard Matheson (screenplay)
Richard Matheson (short story)

Release Date:

13 November 1971 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Horror | 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:

Mysterious Truck | Salesman | On The Road | Based On Short Story | Black Comedy

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)

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:

Brazil:12 | Iceland:L | USA:PG (1984) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | 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:

The phone number Dennis Weaver dials to call his wife at the gas station is not the standard "555" movie prefix but, at the time, a valid number.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the scene at the railway crossing, in one shot the lettering on the freight cars appears in mirror image. (It is not possible that we're seeing a reflection in the rear view mirror, as the train is in front of the car and still seems to be moving the right way anyway).

Quotes:

Cafe Owner: [as David Mann exits cafe restroom and enters dining area] Are you all right?
David Mann: Yeah, I'm fine.
Cafe Owner: What happened out there?
David Mann: Oh, just a slight complication.
Cafe Owner: Oh? Looked like a big complication to me!
[Cafe patrons laugh. Mann gives an irritated look]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Blacktop (2000) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Truck Waiting (#1, #2, #3, #4, #5)

City-slicker's nightmare

Gleefully sadistic little thriller. Though the young Mr. Spielberg's hand is evident in many places (the economic storytelling style, the visual wit), the film's tone probably owes more to screenwriter (and 'Twilight Zone' veteran) Richard Matheson. The story has all the itchy paranoia of Matheson's best work, with Dennis Weaver's fussy little city man confronted by Tex-Mex suspicion at best, and relentless, illogical horror at worst, as he travels from one oasis of civilization to another for an important meeting. 'Duel' is essentially a city-slicker's nightmare, concentrating collective fears of wilderness and the mad souls who choose to dwell there. But at the same time it lightly satirizes those urbanite attitudes, and Weaver's Mann is often made to look laughable, with his silly necktie, and his little Plymouth Valiant, and his prissy, civilized approach to his problem. Spielberg revels in the black comic elements of Matheson's narrative, and the result is the perfect suspense/thriller tone--one never knows whether to laugh or scream. If the story lags a bit towards the end, and if the conclusion is rather a simple one, the film is still a model of economy and tone, and it features one of the most memorable villains in suspense-film history--one that weighs forty tons. 9 out of 10.