Tags
Film Title
Duel
Director
Steven Spielberg
Starring
- Dennis Weaver as David Mann
Duel marked the debut of Steven Spielberg and though it was made for television, it later got a cinematic release. And it isn’t hard to see why because Duel is a mercilessly tense thriller that will have you biting your nails and removing sweat from your brow as it takes a simple premise and transforms it into something menacing.
David Mann is just a regular kind of guy; a mild-mannered salesman who is driving to a business trip using a highway in the California desert. All is well until he encounters an enormous and grimy truck that is initially driving very slow. Wanting to go quicker, David takes over the truck so he won’t miss his business. This in turn then angers the truck driver, who begins to deliberately slow again and blare his horn. After losing him, David just puts it down to the guy being annoyed with him and brushes it off as nothing to really worry about. But as he drives on and the truck begins to stalk him, things get very alarming very quickly. The truck tries to run him off the road, toys with him psychologically as well as physically. Starting to get very frightened by the ordeal that continues, the normally placid David realises that he must dig deep into a fighting strength he never knew he had in order to survive the chases that the madman in the truck puts him through. Putting the pedal down, he is now in a chase that could end in death for him but is the only chance of living through this ordeal. The question is, can David survive these persistent attacks from the unreasonable driver who brings new meaning to the word road rage and make it out in one piece?
Steven Spielberg displays a deft aptitude for action and thrills in his direction that is full of confidence and style. Jaws may have been the movie that made him a household name, but Duel shows how his style and expertise begin in this creepy thriller that practically burns with a feeling of unnerving and unrelenting menace. Duel, in essence has a very simple story line that is just as thrilling as some convoluted thrillers and shows that you don’t need something overly complex to make an effective thriller. This is a movie that is filled with so many memorable moments that it’s hard to list them but I’ll try to list some of the ones that stood out for me. The opening in which David is just travelling with nothing out the ordinary is brilliant in the way it lulls us into a false sense of security that evaporates into full on terror. A diner scene in which David attempts to identify the assailant is marvellously staged and conducted. And not forgetting the chase scenes that make up basically most of the movie’s economical running time. Duel seriously only lets up from the high-speed road rage for about two or three times in the movies, placing us in David’s terrified position. A score that begins out in minimal fashion soon builds to creeping crescendos and slithering suspense that is very hard to shake and makes the road rage depicted in Duel even more sinister.
The main character in the story is David and he is played very well by Dennis Weaver. Because he is the character that gets the most to do, the whole film sort of hangs on him and he does a very commendable job. Weaver captures the fear that the driver causes him but also the digging into himself to find something that will help survive. The use of an interior monologue to bring his tortured thoughts out is an excellent device that helps Weaver get into the character’s head and put the audience in his position of uncertainty and shock.
Laden with tension and barely letting you go once it pulls you in, Duel is a confident debut film from Steven Spielberg who would go on to become and still is one of the best filmmakers in the business.
reocochran said:
I wrote an old post about guy named Richard Matheson who wrote several parts of the Twilight Zone TV show, Vinnie. I think he also wrote Duel. I may be wrong, it could have been Stephen King. I’m not sure but what I’m really saying is that this is a great psychological thriller. 🙂
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vinnieh said:
I found the film to be very tense and as you said psychological. I think what really made me feel nervous was the fact that something like what is depicted in the movie could actually happen.
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drhumpp said:
Matheson did write this one. He’s got an incredibly diverse voice. Love him. The movie’s cool, but I still enjoy the source story a little more.
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vinnieh said:
I’ll have to see if I can get a copy of the source story.
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beetleypete said:
I saw this on release, and there had been nothing like it before back then. Weaver plays his part well, and the tension never lets up. One of Spielberg’s best, I reckon.
Cheers, Pete.
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vinnieh said:
Spielberg showed huge promise here and delivered one hell of a thrill ride.
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thejunctionuk said:
The Duel is incredibly tense, and the isolation that Weaver’s character experiences is just terrifiying. Fantastic film, great review.
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vinnieh said:
Thanks for commenting. I could feel the isolation of his character in that diner scene when he is trying to make out who the truck driver is. Chilling stuff.
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thejunctionuk said:
The defining moment for me was when weavers character is hitting the steering wheel in utter desperation, all hope lost, and the speedo is dropping.
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vinnieh said:
Now that was tense, I would be panicking so much if I was in his position.
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badblokebob said:
This is one of only a couple of Spielbergs I’ve not seen. You make it sound great, Vinnie — I really must get round to it!
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vinnieh said:
It had been on my list for absolutely ages so I decided it was about time I saw it. And it was worth it that’s for sure.
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mikeladano said:
When I was in highschool I wrote a paper on Duel vs. Close Encounters — got an A.
Needless to say this is one of my favourite movies of ALL time. Hard to believe the studio wanted to shoot it on sound stages.
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vinnieh said:
Congrats on getting that A. This movie was really suspenseful and very well done.
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mikeladano said:
Full on!
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International News & Marketing said:
Reblogged this on International Gay Guide To Asia & Cambodia and commented:
Laden with tension and barely letting you go once it pulls you in, Duel is a confident debut film from Steven Spielberg who would go on to become and still is one of the best filmmakers in the business.
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Lloyd Marken said:
Well I’m only going to repeat what you and others have pointed out. Duel is an absolute classic, there’s something about films from the 1970s shot on the road and I believe Dennis Weaver really should’ve have had a bigger career. He looks suitably bad ass in that last sunset shot but was perfectly an everyman throughout the film. This did put Spielberg on the map and maybe today can help remind people that the man who brought us E.T. knows how to tap into our feats and shoot great gritty action scenes on a relatively low budget.
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vinnieh said:
Thank you for the comment, I’m glad I got around to seeing it after hearing so much about it.
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Lloyd Marken said:
Sorry I meant fears, not feats.
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vinnieh said:
I understood what you meant Lloyd.
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Lloyd Marken said:
Doesn’t Weaver’s eyes make him look a bit like Matthew McConaughey in this poster?
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vinnieh said:
Haha, now that you mention it yes.
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Marta said:
This one is a classic thriller now! A great first film for Spielberg.
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vinnieh said:
A tense thriller if ever there was one.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I LOVE this movie! It scared the bloody hell out of me when I first saw it!
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vinnieh said:
I can see why it would cause that reaction. Something very realistic about the plot.
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table9mutant said:
Great review. Great film! 🙂
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vinnieh said:
Thanks, I’m finally glad to tick it off my list as it has been on there for a while now.
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fragglerocking said:
Great movie, great review 😊
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vinnieh said:
Indeed the story was simple and not complicated but still had me on the edge of my seat.
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alexraphael said:
You’re right with everything. It’s funny. When you think of people dominating in a film you think of a deserted island or an apocalypse. He must have been so sick of driving by the end. And spielberg is superb. What he does is extraordinary. Great choice to review.
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vinnieh said:
He was a one man show here, and he must have been sick of cars by the end of production I would be. And Spielberg really showed immense promise with this flick.
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alexraphael said:
Superb. What a compliment it made it to the big screen. And all from a short story.
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vinnieh said:
It took me so long to see this movie, but it was worth every minute when I saw it.
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emmakwall said:
Wowee Vinnie!! Goes without saying you’ve written another great review AND I haven’t seen it! 🙂
It sounds great though! So appealing, I need to watch this. Very interesting post, must say I never knew Spielberg made this.
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vinnieh said:
Your comments are like music to my ears Emma.
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Annelise Lestrange said:
Loved the review, Vinnie! ❤
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vinnieh said:
Thank you Annelise.
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HusbandAndHusband said:
This movie sounds really cool.I want to watch this one ASAP. It kind of reminds of Joy Ride. Have you heard of that movie with Paul Walker? I love that movie so this Duel sounds right up my alley.
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vinnieh said:
I can’t say I have heard of Joy Ride.
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HusbandAndHusband said:
it’s great. you should check it out
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vinnieh said:
Will take note of it.
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