Duel (TV 1971)

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

Director:

Steven Spielberg

Writers:

Richard Matheson (screenplay), Richard Matheson (story)

Stars:

Dennis Weaver, Jacqueline Scott, Eddie Firestone

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 3 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Dennis Weaver	...	David Mann
Jacqueline Scott	...	Mrs. Mann
Eddie Firestone	...	Cafe Owner
Lou Frizzell	...	Bus Driver
Gene Dynarski	...	Man in Cafe
Lucille Benson	...	Lady at Snakerama
Tim Herbert	...	Gas Station Attendant
Charles Seel	...	Old Man
Shirley O'Hara	...	Waitress
Alexander Lockwood	...	Old Man in Car
Amy Douglass	...	Old Woman in Car
Dick Whittington	...	Radio Interviewer (voice)
Carey Loftin	...	The Truck Driver (as Cary Loftin)
Dale Van Sickel	...	Car Driver (as Dale VanSickle)

Storyline

While traveling through the desert for an appointment with a client, the businessman David Mann from California passes a slow and old tanker truck. The psychotic truck driver feels offended and chases David along the empty highway trying to kill him.

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Plot Keywords:

truck | truck driver | desert | california | driving | 

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Taglines:

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.

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Genres:

Action | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 November 1971 (USA)

Also Known As:

Duellen

Filming Locations:

Acton, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$450,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal TV

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min 74 min (original)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System) DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In 1971, Steven Spielberg's secretary suggested the story to him after reading it in Playboy magazine.

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Goofs

When Mann first enters the service station in Acton, his car is covered in shadow, indicating the sun is below the building to the right of his car. In the next shot the sun appears overhead as his car is covered in sunlight.

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Quotes

[first lines]
[radio playing, driving down the road, approaches the truck]
[David coughs, coughs again]
David Mann: Talk about pollution.

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Crazy Credits

A scene plays out over the credits where David Mann sits on the edge of the cliff throwing stones.

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Connections

Edited into The Incredible Hulk: Never Give a Trucker an Even Break (1978)

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Soundtracks

"Brush Those Tears from Your Eyes"
Written by Al Trace (as Clem Watts), Oakley Haldeman and James Lee
Published by MCA Music (ASCAP)

User Reviews

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.