Duel

I finally, finally watched:

Duel (1971).

This movie is Steven Spielberg's first full movie. It was originally made for TV and clocked in at 70 minutes, but after his mega success with Jaws (1975), Universal studios asked him to add a couple of scenes, in order to pad out the run time to 90 minutes for a theatrical release.

Before Duel, Spielberg had only directed TV episodes and a few shorts. On that list we find one episode of Columbo, two episodes of Night Gallery and such. This was his first proper movie, but you really wouldn't think so.

Duel is based on a short story by Richard Matheson, and was inspired by a real life event he had with a reckless truck driver.

So what is Duel all about? Despite the name conjuring up images of sword fights at dawn, it is a road movie. The main character is David Mann (Dennis Weaver), a mild mannered, non confrontational salesman from California. One morning he sets out on a long drive in his red Plymouth Valiant to meet a client. On the road, he encounters a rusty, dusty gas truck, a 1965 Peterbilt 281. This old monstrosity drives slowly belching exhaust fumes behind it. Annoyed, David overtakes it, thinking no more about it. Seconds later, the truck thunders past him and resumes driving slowly. Frustrated, David drives past the truck again, and now it is on and David has to fight and drive for his life.

This back and forth is the closest thing we get to a motive for the unseen truck driver. We never see his face, and he and David never interact besides driving. The driver, who was stunt driver Carey Loftin, asked Spielberg what the motivation was and Spielberg answered: “You're a dirty, rotten, no-good son of a bitch”. Loftin replied “Kid, you hired the right man”.

Duel is a mix between a serial killer thriller and a monster movie. We see early shades of Jaws and Jurassic Park in the massive grimy truck. The way it shows up suddenly or waits ahead for David to approach is text book monster stuff, but there is nothing fantastic or supernatural here.

Spielberg does an amazing job switching between claustrophobic shots inside the car, and sweeping shots showing how desolate the area is in Southern California. Spielberg also borrowed a camera previously used in Bullitt (1968) that rode very close to the ground in order to raise the feeling of great velocity, while keeping everyone driving at safe speeds.

I could go on, and in fact retell the entire movie, as it can't be spoiled. The important part is the experience. As a story Duel is actually really thin. You need to be in the Plymouth with David and feel his panic as the giant malevolent truck roars up behind him. Like a roller coaster, you can talk about twists and turns, but until you do it yourself it is meaningless.

So, do I recommend this movie? Oh yes! If you like movies, watch Duel, it's as simple as that. It's no wonder Spielberg's career took off, with this movie as a launch pad. It's so simple, but so brilliantly done, down to the fact that you don't get anything on the driver besides a glimpse of a hand and his boots, because Spielberg wanted the truck to be the villain, and it works. If you've ever been in a car on the highway as a large truck speeds past, you know the feeling of being small and squishy. Now imagine that truck is trying to kill you...

That's that and all that. Join me again next time and until then, have a great week!