nicksk-53433
Who'd of thought, that one day, a little story of a truck would end up the make for one, if not the GREATEST Director of all time? Steven Spielberg had done it all, T.V episodes and short films, then, came his big break, IN A PLAYBOY. A simple story of an everyday man, a business man, going for a long drive to save/finish an account. The open road, call of the morning, is answered by evil in it's most, AWESOME form. A tanker truck, a staple of action films. This, well Duel was the set up for mad max in a sense, just 2 warriors on the road, occasionally people, but, it was THEIR WAY on the highway. This 100% pure cult THRILLER, is, a new type ( well, classic) of a creature feature, the monster truck, driven by a serial killer, has it's sights ( the brilliant cinematography to show more of the truck like it's alive, though, sharp eye viewers will see the driver, least 5 times a clear shot) on the target, a red valiant. There's chilling moments with suiting music, light comedy, a touch of blood and, well, Duel will fuel you for more. There wasn't a sequel, but in a sense, a decent spiritual/remake, Joyride aka Roadkill. That is a decent thriller, and could be argued as a sequel. In Duel, David Mann ( the late great Dennis Weaver) has 2 sons, one old other young. In Joyride, two brothers, drive in a Valiant, and pick up one's girlfriend drive cross country and are terrorised by a truck driver. They're dad is estranged, so, in Fan theory, Joyride is Duel 2, just when the year is set, well, say the kids were 8 and 5, ad just over 20 then, it would work. Duel, a staple and a great ride, edge of your seat.
hrkepler
Hitchcockian road rage thriller. High octane cat and mouse play. Jaws on wheels. I could come up with dozen one liners like that to describe 'Duel'. It is real edge on your seat thrill ride. Only Steven Spielberg can stretch such simple premise into an exiting and entertaining hour and a half. Not much work has gone into developing characters, but that is not important in this film. The director just wants you to feel uncomfortable all through movie. I couldn't stop noticing some Hitchcock vibes there - these dense moments where the truck is seeking for it's pray and that score (very similar to Bernard Hermann's work) starts to play.'Duel', being the first feature film for Spielberg, who made many more masterful films in his career, truly stands as a testament to his directing talents.
coolantic
Fortunately I saw this film at the cinema and was unaware of its TV origin. It was the support movie but impressed me so much that I can't even remember what the main feature was. The only other B movie to have that effect on me is Beach Red. In the UK Dennis Weaver was only known to us as Chester from Gunsmoke, and in Duel he plays a similar meek character. His wife does not appreciate him and his boss is demanding. However, like a lot of us; in his car, he is king. Thus, when he is held up by a filthy smoke-belching truck, he is quite happy to indulge in a little alpha male posturing with the other driver and quickly overtakes. His victory is short lived since the truck driver retakes the road aggressively. From then on the situation gets out of hand rapidly. Although our man gets in front again, the truck begins to tailgate him at high speed, eventually forcing him off the road near a diner. But it's not over. After a brief rest and a mistaken confrontation with the wrong trucker, the chase is on again and the situation gets more and more terrifying. The eventual resolution should be a letdown, but it isn't. In the final showdown on the clifftop I was expecting the trucker to confound our frantic hero by saying something like he was a hit-man hired by the wife. But we never get an explanation or see the driver's face. The mighty truck simply plunges over a cliff roaring and groaning with primeval fury. And you're so breathless by this time it doesn't matter. And you've enjoyed a cracking movie!
