Duel

From the opening credits, where we see a POV of David Mann's car pulling out of his driveway off to who-knows-where, the viewer knows their in for something special. Indeed, Duel is something special. It's essentially a 90 minute chase with the occasional brief intermissions for scenery change. This could get old really quick, and indeed it does get old . . . but I can't help but watch in amazement and observe how long Spielberg kept me engaged in just two vehicles on open roads.

And interestingly enough, ten minutes after the film started boring me it recaptured my interest for the breathtaking finale.

After Duel, the Creeper truck and the semi from JoyRide are pushovers. This is the Freddy Krueger of vehicles, and the truck (not its driver) is treated as the bad guy. I particularly loved when the truck was shot in silhouette through the tunnel - beautiful and haunting composition. Also the shots where the camera pulls around Mann's car and travels parallel up along the truck – simply put, 'awesome cinematography.' The high number of interesting shots (on location, no less) of the truck chasing Mann is what really drives this film forward. It takes a long time for this particular flair and flavor of film to get boring.

Dennis Weaver plays his part of David extremely well; unfortunately, I didn't much care for the spineless middle-class Joe-shmo character on the page. I think part of my dislike comes from those annoying internal monologues that were totally unnecessary. It's always been a cheap gimmick in my mind, and Weaver truly communicates those emotions without the added soundtrack. Still, despite a character that I did not like, Duel managed to keep me engaged in the story . . . strangely enough.

Earlier I spoke of brief intermissions from the chase; notice I didn't say the tension is eased up here. Spielberg finds ways to lace these breathers with suspense through the presence of the truck (still, more to do with the truck itself than the driver). And really, it's through these intermissions that we meet other (very colorful) characters who make quite an impact considering their bit parts (then again, maybe it's due to the fact that juxtaposed to an empty desert any character is colorful).

I appreciate the lack of any real information, lack of a motive, lack of background story on Mann, very little info (if any) on Mann's destination. I do, however, think Spielberg went just a bit too far with the ambiguity; however, that's a very minor complaint that I don't care to dwell on. Sure a few points needed to be touched on more, but then again the Freddy Krueger of diesel trucks is chasing you, are you really going to stop and ask it a question?

I wish the character emotions had taken the same route instead of feeding the audience those redundant internal monologues. Oh well, there's a fun contrast for you.

In my review of T3, I wrote 'I wonder what director will be the first to direct the very first film composed solely of one action scene?' Spielberg comes pretty damn close, and the funny thing is his 60+ minutes of chase footage is more interesting than the new millennium's 10+ minute chases. Rock on Steven!

A brilliant study in minimalist suspense and terror

This film is the perfect example that you don't need a gigantic budget, sound names, great publicity or a little push from someone famous to create a cult classic. All it takes is talent and Spielberg has repeatedly shown us that he has plenty of it. It was filmed in a modest budget, the characters hardly talk and the plot is quite simple: it is the story of a man being chased in a highway by an truck. However it was filmed in such a way that it literally sticks you to the screen, never being boring for one second. The truck (not the driver) is the main protagonist of the story, a menacing character who chases a man to death for no particular reason. It plays marveously with our most intimate fear: the unknown. An absolute must see, a cult classic. this is a unique film.

Although Dennis Weaver is probably best known for his two small screen TV series McCloud and Gunsmoke, there are those that hold out for his career role being the frightened and harassed driver in Duel.

Some years ago I was with two friends and a passenger in a car going on the Thruway in Upstate New York. Some idiot truckdriver thought we had offended him some how and chased us through several miles. We eluded him by going into a service station and driving around until he could not maneuver that big rig. I know exactly what Dennis Weaver was going through.

Weaver plays Mr. Average man on his way home from a business trip when some how he offends a faceless truckdriver whom we never see, but whose power behind that tanker truck we definitely feel right along with Weaver. Unless you're driving a bus you are no position to play turnpike tag with a big rig.

In the end Weaver decides he's so mad he stops being frightened and looks to take him down any way he can.

Weaver's performance is a one man tour de force. As much as Spencer Tracy in The Old Man And The Sea. One not to be missed.

I can recall vividly watching this movie as an ABC movie of the week at the tender age of six.Very few movies at that time in my life had the ability to captivate me.Duel was one of the fortunate few.We have a mild mannered businessman,excellently played by Dennis Weaver,on his way to a very important appointment.Suddenly,there is trouble ahead in the form of a ruthless tanker truck driver.For unexplained reasons,the truck driver singles out David Mann(Weaver)as the recipient of whatever rage and torment possesses him.Along the way,we have an apparently unsympathetic diner crowd,among whom this mad truck driver may have mixed in with while David was freshening up in the diner's restroom.Which one of them is it?Did he ever come in at all?Did he just linger outside,adding to David's torment?Then,there is the lady at the Snakerama,whose reptile displays are leveled when the truck driver realizes that David is trying to notify police in her phone booth.David ends up searching for strength he's not sure he possesses in order to combat this unseen menace.I love the idea of the driver never being seen,as the unseen is often more frightening than what is thrown in our face.This film may have been made for television,but it played like something you would see in a movie theater.I understand that it was in fact,released in theaters in England later on after Spielberg added some more footage.I am envious that they got to see this Hitchcock like thriller on the big screen.I consider it a grand edition to my DVD library.Great stuff.

2/28/2006 R.I.P. Dennis Weaver (1924-2006)

The idea of a motorist getting terrorized on the highway feels like it's been done to death in the last four decades, but I'll be damned if "Duel" doesn't feel fresh. You get the idea how this will all play out - 18-wheeler stalks Dennis Weaver, puts the guy through psychological torment, vanishes only to reappear - but Spielberg keeps up that unrelenting dread beautifully with creative use of sound and camera panes around the tanker that really give it size. What's impressive here is that a big rig has such evil personality. Even more impressive is that such a taut thriller was made for TV.

This is obscenely enjoyable stuff.

8/10