Duel (1971) (TV)

Director:

Steven Spielberg

Writers:

Richard Matheson (screenplay)
Richard Matheson (short story)

Release Date:

13 November 1971 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

A duel is about to begin between a man, a truck, and an open road. Where a simple battle of wits is now a matter of life and death.

Plot:

A business commuter is pursued and terrorized by a malevolent driver of a massive tractor-trailer.

Plot Keywords:

Truck | Road | Truck Driver | California | Desert

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Dennis Weaver	...	David Mann
Eddie Firestone	...	Cafe Owner
Gene Dynarski	...	Man in Cafe
Tim Herbert	...	Gas Station Attendant
Charles Seel	...	Old Man
Alexander Lockwood	...	Old Man in Car
Amy Douglass	...	Old Woman in Car
Shirley O'Hara	...	Waitress
Lucille Benson	...	Lady at Snakerama
Carey Loftin	...	The Truck Driver (as Cary Loftin)
Dale Van Sickel	...	Car Driver (as Dale Van Sickle)

Runtime:

90 min | USA:74 min (original version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:PG (1984) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Brazil:12 | Italy:VM14 (DVD rating) | UK:PG (video rating) | Australia:PG | Norway:12 | Sweden:11 | UK:AA (original rating) | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Finland:S (1996) | Finland:K-16 (1973) | Finland:K-12 (1984)

Filming Locations:

Acton, California, USA

Company:

Universal TV

Trivia:

The license plates on the front of the truck are from other cars the driver had destroyed and kept as trophies. Steven Spielberg said in an interview that, "The driver wanted to destroy a car in every state."

Goofs:

Anachronisms: As David flips through different radio stations, a sports broadcast mentions Texas beating the Yankees. The Texas Rangers began play in 1972. However, a few minutes later he is listening to a call-in show discussing the Census questionnaire. The Census was taken in 1970.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[radio playing, driving down the road, approaches the truck]
[David coughs, coughs again]
David Mann: Talk about pollution.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Holiday (2006)

Soundtrack:

Brush Those Tears from Your Eyes

Sometimes you just have to get the hell out of the way!

Director Steven Spielberg made the big leagues with this piece of suspense. A traveling salesman(Dennis Weaver) is traveling along a lonely highway, when he notices there is a huge "big rig" following him. It is not his imagination that this massive truck-trailer is not only tailgating him, but is trying to run him off the road. Every chance he gets to allude his terrorist on wheels, the rolling menace appears again in his rear view mirror...again getting closer and closer.

The tension is spell binding. This is Weaver's best performance. Also in the cast are: Jacqueline Scott, Lucille Benson and Carey Loftin.