DUEL

A Film Review

by Hugh Savage

           A Universal Picture

                                    An ABC Movie of the Weekend

                                    A Steven Spielberg Film

Original Air Date:          November 13, 1971

Running Time:               TV Cut 1.13

Running Time:               Theatrical Cut 1.30

MPAA Rating:              PG

Aspect Ratio:                1.33:1 (1.85:1)

Budget:                         $500,000

Box-Office:                   International: $8 million

Awards:                        Emmy Award: Outstanding Achievement in Film Sound Editing

                                    Golden Globe: Best Movie Made for TV

Duel

            A henpecked family man and average guy David Mann, played by Dennis Weaver, jumps into his car to drive off across California for a business meeting. On his way there things go from bad to worse when a huge gasoline truck in front of him forces him to drive slower than he would like - a real road hog. He passes the slow moving tanker and cuts in front. HUGE MISTAKE!

            As the drive continues, Mann realizes that he’s not dealing with just another road hog. The peeved truckie has been offended, loses it, and proceeds to try to eradicate him at every turn. Even though the two never lock eyes, in fact David can never see the trucker’s face, the driver proves to be psychopathic, starting to run him off the road and trick or force him into a number of deadly situations. As the horrific trip continues, Mann tries to lose the truck, but each time he thinks he’s finally in the clear, the truck returns to terrorise him even more. Finally, this deadly conflict builds to a point where he realizes that running won’t save him, and that he needs to make a stand and fight back against this insane trucker from Hell.

            This is the ultimate road rage/terror/suspense/action film with an automotive base.

            Stephen Spielberg’s inspirational “road rage” debut “Duel” was first made as a Television movie running for 76 minutes. Spielberg was then asked by the distributors to re-shoot 16 extra scenes for Duel so that it would be long enough to qualify for theatrical release in foreign countries. This extension of length is what resulted in the extended version that I had the very great pleasure of viewing.

            The film is based on a short story by genre-champ Richard Mathes (who later penned the screenplay). “Duel” was a low-budget smash hit, (excuse the pun), revealing a storyline that revelled in its simplicity and forced Spielberg to be very creative on every level to keep things exciting and appealing. From its extended, yet riveting, opening shot of David’s car driving off, we are hooked by this movie’s clever visual approach to its material. Apart from an absorbing “the psycho is in this roadhouse with me----- who is he????” scene, the bulk of the narrative takes place on the open road. For Duel to succeed in keeping our interest it has to stay hardcore, fast paced throughout, and maintain the suspense level as it increases to the climax. Quite a feat! Spielberg grabs our attention, like the lights of an on coming road train, and keeps us focused on the edge of our seats for the whole of the ride. What a great film crafter he is!

            The bid bad-rig excelled on a character level, making us, the audience, think wonder and fear in the process. The bad guy and his motives were cleverly kept secret, thus presenting the chain of events as even more frightening. The smoke belching, ear shatteringly loud horn blowing truck from hell was the real monster, not the insane wacko driving it! The truck gave the ordeal an intense sense of mystery and unreasoning primal fear. As for David Mann, it isn’t that we sympathize with him as an individual as he is just too spineless for us to relate to, but rather we are convinced by the film maker that we are him. Being beaten left, right, centre as well as below the belt by this monstrous metallic beast. Spielberg’s way of communicating the chain of events enables us to feel involved, be part of the action, right in there and feeling the heat! Finally we are stirred on a psychological level, in that we individually see the horrific challenges as a sly metaphor for a neutered man earning back his “balls” through a rite of aggressive, testosterone and diesel-fuelled passage.

            There are few negatives about this film. One slightly aggravating part was David’s voice-over/ inner-monologues and I felt that his actions, and facial expressions, were sufficient to convey the horror he was experiencing. This device seems to talk down to the viewer, pointing out the obvious. What did not help was that the dialogue was a bit dated and even corny. How many of us would call somebody a “fat head” in everyday life? Several adjectives come to mind but “fat head” is not one of them. Perhaps this will make people laugh at the lines in some places.

            In totality though, “Duel” has been a revelation in terms of Steven Spielberg’s consummate talent. Duel as a film is one of his better efforts right up there with “Jaws”, “Schindler’s List”, and “ET” (just joking on that last one).

            Dennis Weaver (David) got his character one hundred percent right in his “insecure” yet “fight for your right to the road” role. You don’t so much connect to him much as a person, but relate to the desperate predicament he is in. His realistic performance helps get you in to the film. The big, black, dirty, evil Tanker Truck (played by a Big, Black, Dirty, Evil Tanker Truck) nails it’s role with it’s roaring, smoke-belching and bumper pushing display. Fantastic acting (for an inanimate object)!

            It is all clean fun apart from light blood and Dennis Weaver’s frightening caterpillar moustache. There was no gore in this film.

            Now I’ve asked several people in the club what they thought was the car Dennis Weaver was driving. I got answers ranging from Chevrolet to Dodge Dart. I thought it was a Dart too, but “IT’S NOT THE DART” or anything like a GOGGO mobile. It is in fact a nice red 1970 Plymouth Valiant with a strong resemblance to our Valiants of the time.

            Matheson, the writer of “Duel”, got the idea in 1963 when a truck cut him off on the highway. “Duel” was shot in sixteen days for a budget of approximately $500,000.

            The extra scenes that were shot by Spielberg for the foreign theatrical releases were David’s phone conversation with his ball-busting wife, the school bus scene, and the railroad crossing, nudge/shove scene.

            Interestingly the “Incredible Hulk” TV show showed footage from “Duel” (from the chase scenes) for an episode called “Never Give a Trucker an Even Break”. 

            The DVD has a section by Steven Spielberg on making “Duel” (35 minutes): The feature has Spielberg reminiscing about the making of the film and the struggles/obstacles he had to overcome. He revealed some interesting trivia. For example, did you know that the license plates on the front of the truck represented all the cars the truck had destroyed in other states!

            Other films such as “The Hitcher”, “Joyride”, “Breakdown”, “Highwaymen”, “Christine”, “Wheels of Terror”, and the “The Car” owe a lot to “Duel” in terms of premise, tone and set pieces. Duel in its day was a tour-de-force of simplicity, one that used its images, technical prowess and ambiguity to put an audience, right in the centre of the action.

            I recommend this film to anyone who loves suspense, action, and a little horror. It has them all and, bland monologues aside, they just don’t make them like this any more!

Editors Notes-:

Film Trivia

                Spielberg has said in the past that he watches this film every time he is about to start a new project so that he never unlearns the lessons he taught himself in making it. However, on the DVD, he says he has not seen Duel for a while.

            Spielberg lobbied to have Dennis Weaver in the starring role because he admired Weaver’s work in Orson Welles’ Touch of Evil (source: DVD bonus material).

            Shooting was completed in 13 days (3 longer than the scheduled 10 days), leaving 10 days for editing prior to broadcast as the ABC “Movie of the Week” (source: DVD bonus material).

            The old couple that Mann flags down on the highway are the same actors who appear in a helicopter in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. (source: DVD bonus material)

            The groaning roar sound of the truck falling down the canyon is re-used in Jaws (source: DVD bonus material).

            There were several trucks used to “play the part of the truck”, one of which has survived.

            The “bumper” of the truck is clearly constructed of pieces of railroad rail. In conjunction with the multiple license plates and empty tanker, this suggests that the trucker is, in fact, a serial killer.

            Much of the movie was filmed in southern California’s “Canyon Country,” in and around Agua Dulce, California and Acton, California. In particular, sequences were filmed on Sierra Highway, Agua Dulce Canyon Road, Soledad Canyon Road and Angeles Forest Highway. Many of the landmarks from Duel still exist today, including the tunnel, the railroad crossing and Chuck’s Café, a place where David Mann abruptly stops for a break. The building, now a French restaurant, still sits on Sierra Highway.