Before he became the legendary director behind “Jaws”, “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, “Jurassic Park”, “Schindler’s List”, and “Saving Private Ryan”, Steven Spielberg found success in an unexpected place – an ABC television movie of the week. At only 24 years-old, the ambitious and immensely talented Spielberg made “Duel”, a movie that would be the launching pad for one of the great filmmaking careers of our time.
While technically not Spielberg’s first feature-length film (that honor goes to the self-made “Firelight” which has never been made public), “Duel” is considered to be the filmmaker’s first officially released movie. As you watch, the very technique and craftsmanship that would define his extraordinary career is present in its early stages. It results in propulsive action thriller built upon the classic tenets of good old-fashioned suspense.
The script was written by Richard Matheson who was adapting his very own short story that was published in Playboy magazine. The film is light on dialogue, with Spielberg intent on letting the two led vehicles do most of the “talking”. The rest is left to Spielberg’s wizardry that utilizes both visuals and sound to drive this harrowing and high-octane nailbiter.
Spielberg cranks things up with an outstanding opening credits sequence that features a camera mounted on the front of a car as it drives through Los Angeles, out to the freeway, and eventually down a mostly barren two-lane rural road. Behind the wheel is David Mann (played by a pitch-perfect Dennis Weaver), a mild-mannered traveling salesman driving his Plymouth Valiant as an AM radio talk show plays in the background.
A few miles into his trip he encounters the film’s antagonist – a rusty and grime-covered 1951 Peterbilt tanker truck with thick smoke billowing from its stack pipe and license plates mounted on its front bumper like trophies from his past victims. We never see the face of the truck’s driver, only getting a few glimpses of his arm (and later his brown boots). Even scarier, we never get a sense of his motive for the terror he’s about to unleash.
Their encounter starts with David passing the truck only to have the truck pass him less than a mile later. The truck driver then slows down, forcing David to pass him again. As David speeds along the truck bears down on him, riding his bumper and blaring his horn. Quickly what resembles an instance of road rage boils over into a dangerous game of vehicular cat-and-mouse.
As you ride along with “Duel” it’s impossible to miss the Hitchcockian vibe which is felt in everything from the crisp direction to the score (composed by Billy Goldenberg). Spielberg insisted on shooting the film on location and he did so in only thirteen days. It ends up making a significant difference by creating a palpable sense of authenticity. Meanwhile Weaver is a terrific centering point, selling us on his character’s fear by his physical intensity and through internal monologues which emphasize David’s rattled state of mind.
“Duel” first aired on November 13, 1971 and was an instant hit. In fact, it was so popular that Spielberg was brought back to shoot a few more scenes, lengthening its runtime to 88 minutes in preparation for an eventual big screen release in 1983. What’s great is that the movie still holds up well today in large part thanks to its taut and straightforward story and the way it’s told by a savvy young director with an extraordinary vision that would only get better in the years that followed.
VERDICT – 4 STARS
Keith & the Movies 