Duel (1971)

David Mann: I'd like to report a truck driver who's been endangering my life.

Director:  Steven Spielberg
Producer:  George Eckstein
Main Cast:  Dennis Weaver
Runtime:  86 minutes

What does Steven Spielberg, Charles Laughton, Michael Bay, Sam Mendes and Tim Burton all have in common?  Their first movie was a hit.  Shot in less than two weeks, Steven Spielberg’s first movie, Duel, ended up being 74 minutes long so it went to TV but became popular so the studio got Spielberg to shoot more scenes to bring the movie up to about 90 minutes then dropped it in the cinema.  It’s a cracker of a movie that will make you look twice in that rear vision mirror when being tailed by a semi.  

It is an unusual movie in that only two human characters are known by name and that is David Mann (Dennis Weaver) and his wife who we only see for a short time during a phone call.  The other two non-human characters are the menacing truck and the orange/red Valiant.  

David starts another ordinary day at work by driving out to see a client however on the way he overtakes what appears to be an old clapped out truck who then, like a bull passionately charging at a red flag, goes nuts and chases the car and its driver with intent to kill.  As David finds out, the truck is a sleeper and goes faster than it looks.  Can the Valiant out pace it? Who will win this cat and mouse game along the Sierra Highway?  

It’s no wonder Spielberg moved to much bigger projects like Jaws (1975), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) because this is one great film.  For a first movie he does a brilliant job at not just creating suspense but also maintains it throughout the movie through great close-ups, unique camera angles and well directed acting from both man and machine.  Some scenes you almost feel the frustration of David as he hits the steering wheel trying to make his car go faster.  

Duel is another one of those movies I watched over and over on VHS when visiting my grandparents as a young kid and for me both then and now remains to be one great ride from start to finish and will stick in your mind as you see that truck in your rear mirror during your everyday driving.  

The Bluray reviewed is the Australian release and looks great.  The image is in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio and really brings this film to new life.  The sound is also good for a movie of this age and is in the DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 format.  The Bluray also includes the following extras:

• A Conversation with Steven Spielberg
• Steven Spielberg and the Small Screen
• Richard Matheson: The Writing of Duel
• Photograph and Poster Gallery
• Trailer

Overall this is a great movie that that is worth its place in your movie collection and comes highly recommended.

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