Duel

Rating:
Summary: "Duel" Of The Fates
Review: "Come on you miserable fat-head! Get that fat-*ss truck outta my way!" - David Mann gets his road-rage face on & starts "Duel"

Before the term "road-rage" was coined there was Steven Spielberg's first film. "Duel" still holds its punch 33 years after its movie of the week debut.

David Mann is a simple business man, late for a convention thats taking him cross country to get there. It seems that he's making good time, that is, until, an old tanker truck gets in his path, and won't let Mann pass at any cost, except, with the cost of his own life. But, when Mann sees an opening and slips past the truck, an annoying situation escalates into a dangerous game of cat & mouse as the truck and its unknown driver hunts down, teases, & taunts Mann, & his crappy Dodge Dart, all over the Arizona highway.

The film is still great. Its like a feature length episode of "The Twilight Zone". Dennis Weaver is at his best as David Mann, who seems confindent, one of the guys that seems to have an infinite amount of patience, at the films beginning, but, at films end he's a nerve-shattered shell of his formerself & you wonder if he would ever drive a vehicle again, let alone sit in one!

Spielberg shows his first flair for suspense in "Duel" with the school bus sequence and the gas station attack (if you weren't at least on the edge of your seat when Mann was trying to help the kids & the school bus out while the truck ominously watched in the wings, you better check your pulse!).

"Duel" is one of those films that makes you think twice about showing off your road-rage & flipping someone off after they cut you off on the highway. A must for the DVD collection. Not to be watched on long road trips.

Rating:
Summary: Spielberg's first is among his best
Review: "Duel" was the freshman work of director Steven Spielberg, and while the film is not generally considered among his cinematic successes (after all, later films like "Jaws", "E.T.", "Close Encounters Of The Third Kind", et al. still rank among the highest-grossing films of all time!) it is more than deserving of a closer look! The thing that makes the film so good is it's simplicity...the story of a travelling salesman (played convincingly by Dennis Weaver (remember TV's "McCloud" or "Gentle Ben"?) on his way to a business meeting some distance away...while driving down a sparsely travelled desert highway, he finds himself behind a slow-moving tanker which he innocently passes...let's just say the never-seen truck driver doesn't like to be left behind!! The suspense builds as Weaver begins to realize that this guy's not just playing around...he's trying to kill him! No matter where he goes on this lonely stretch of highway, this truck is there...chasing him at ungodly speed...playing cat to Weaver's mouse. Now, I will admit that the first few times I saw this movie, I was a little peeved that we never saw the truck driver...and then I realized--that's why I continue to watch and enjoy this film so much...trying to spot him. Is he in the diner where Weaver stops for lunch? If he is, which one of the dozen or so guys is he? I'll never know for sure and that's why this film is so much fun to watch. There are those who would consider this an inferior Spielberg work...I consider it one of his best! Incidentally, here's a bit of trivia for those who have seen the movie: Take a close look as Dennis Weaver steps into the phone booth at the snake lady's place...you will briefly see the reflection of then-21-year-old Steven Spielberg in the glass. I'm pretty sure this was not intentional, but who knows...maybe he took a nod from the master of suspense! However you rank "Duel," you owe it to yourself to check it out...it truly is a nail-biter to the end.

Rating:
Summary: THE CRAZY TRUCK
Review: I LIKE THIS MOVIE ALOT ITS ABOUT A MAN ON THE ROAD AND THIS TRUCK WONTS TO KILL HIM FOR NO RESON AT ALL I DON'T KOWN WHY I THINK THE TUCK DRIVER NEEDS HELP OR SOMETHING I THINK HES CRAZY THSAT WOULD BE SCARY TO BE DRIVING ON THE ROAD BEING CHEST BY A HUGE TRUCK.....

Rating:
Summary: A class(ic) film---and finally on DVD!
Review: I'm so glad this terrific little horror gem is finally coming out on DVD and with extras! I saw "Duel" when it first premiered on television (along with Richard Nixon's laughable defense of his Watergate tapes) and have never forgotten it. Ever since then, the big truck grills that loom up in my rear-view mirror have never looked quite the same.

With all due respect to Steven Spielberg in his auspicious film directorial debut, I think Dennis Weaver's excellent performance as the hapless salesman inexplicably pursued by a smoke-belching, grunting monster of a tanker gives the film its class--and its classic status. His co-star, the truck itself, also deserves to be placed on one of the all-time movie villains lists. The best big-budget camerawork, lighting and editing available to Spielberg then couldn't have enhanced their unique contributions to "Duel's" continuing popularity and success.

Whether you're a Spielberg fan or just looking for a great horror/chase film for your permanent collection, get this one. You won't be disappointed. And you won't forget to be friendly to truckers on your next road trip.

Rating:
Summary: Spielberg's first film is also one of his best
Review: Originally a T.V movie, Steven Spielberg's "Duel" was seen as too good to just be on television so some extra scenes were shot and in 1973 it was released in cinemas to excellent reviews and strong box-office returns. Starring Dennis Weaver (David Mann) and Eddie Firestone, Duel is the story of a menacing truck driver terrorising a hapless motorist on the road. Tautly directed and suspenseful, the film is one of Spielberg's most gripping movies.

The extra scenes shot for the film's theatrical release consist of a longer set-up, with Weaver driving along listening to the radio, an unnecessary scene where Weaver's character calls up his wife to talk, and one terrifying sequence where the truck driver tries to push Mann's car into a passing train. Spielberg's talent for unique camera shots and technical stunts can all be seen in the film, with some truly shocking moments. The creepy bell-like music adds to the suspense, and Weaver's character growth is surprisingly good, considering the film's short running time. And the inspired idea of never showing the truck driver almost creates a personality for the truck's menace. This is where Spielberg's talent for vivid and shocking storytelling was first shown, as he would go on to direct Jaws (1975) and Jurassic Park (1993). Duel is one of the greats. The DVD can't come soon enough...

Rating:
Summary: The Ultimate Example of Road Rage
Review: This terror filled masterpiece directed by Steven Spielberg and written by the great Richard Matheson has to be one of the most nerve jarring films ever made. Dennis Weaver plays the hapless victim of a psycho truck driver who is seemingly intent on killing him. Dennis Weaver's performance is classic, adding to the fear of being chased by a mack truck on deserted stretches of highway. Apparently this is the movie that proved that Spielberg could really and truly direct and what a way to prove one's worth! The truck itself is the epitome of every traveller's worst fears, an unstoppable behemoth capable of crushing the biggest of automobiles, nevertheless Weaver's puny car. This is not a movie to watch before going on a long car trip, every eighteen wheeler will have you in nervous twitches if you do. An essential film to own for any Horror fan, and probably one of the top ten Horror films of all time. I know it's one of my favorites.