Duel
People wanting to see "Duet" are going to be disappointed
Just about everyone loves Steven
Spielberg, right? The man has made some of the best movies in the
past 30 + years: E.T., Jaws, Close Encounters Of The Third Kind,
Raiders of the Last Ark. The list goes on and on. Just about
everything he touches turns to gold. Sure, we all know the classics,
but I wanted to go back to one of his first films and one of the few
films that could be considered horror. It might not fit in your
traditional horror movie, there's no real blood, nothing supernatural
about it, no monsters jumping out from dark corners. That doesn't
make it any less thrilling or terrifying.
Duel is a 1971 made-for-television (and
later theatrical) horror/thriller starring Dennis Weaver (Dragnet,
Touch of Evil) as electronics salesman David Mann. The movie is based
on a short story written by Richard Matheson (Twilight Zone, Burn
Witch Burn) which he also adapted for the screen. David is on a
business trip driving his red Plymouth Valiant in the California
desert. On his trip, David gets stuck behind a slow-moving, rusted
tanker truck with the word “FLAMMABLE” printed on the back. David
speeds up and goes around the truck. The truck roars past him, cuts
him off, and then promptly slows down again. David returns the favor,
passing him for a second time, leading the truck to blast it's air
horn for a long time. The truck follows David as he stops at a gas
station to call his wife, who is upset at David for not confronting a
man who made a pass at her the night before. The gas attendant tells
David that his car needs a new radiator hose, but he ignores him and
gets back on the road. The truck now blocks David's multiple attempts
to go around him. At one point, the truck driver waves for David to
go ahead, but as he does, an oncoming car almost hits David. He goes
off road and speeds ahead of the truck, but the truck continues to
follow at increasingly fast speeds. David peels off into a cafe's
parking lot, crashing into a fence. He goes inside and gets some
food, only to see that the truck has stopped. David tries to figure
out who in the cafe is the driver and falsely accuses one man of
being the driver, leading to David getting punched. He gets back on
the road and is flagged down by a stranded school bus that needs a
push. His car gets stuck and he panics and flees when he sees the
truck approaching, but the truck actually helps the bus. The pursuit
continues with the truck almost pushing David into an oncoming train
and more high speed chases. David even pulls to the side of the road
and takes a nap in hopes that the truck driver will move on. When he
continues to drive, he finds the truck waiting for him just down the
road. How will David be able to escape this unforgiving truck driver?
What did he say about my mustache?!
The reason why Duel works so well is
that it can and does happen in real life. All of us experience bad
driving, jerks who cut us off, people who don't signal, and general
jackassery on a daily basis. Road rage is a very real thing and it
takes real effort for people to not smash each other's heads in
because they need to get home to watch Girls on HBO. There is also
that creepy feeling that you are being followed. You know it's
probably not true, but when you make a few turns and the car behind
you makes the same exact turns, you start to get nervous. Richard
Matheson really captures this fear in his story. One of the best
things he does is to never show the driver. That allows the audience
to project whatever they want onto this faceless maniac, similar to
Michael Myers in Halloween. The movie is exciting and thrilling while
still be scary at the same time. Just when you think the trucker has
let up and David can go on, he reappears, more aggressive than ever.
Duel is very Hitchcokian in that aspect.
Though he was still a young director at
the time, Steven Spielberg really captured the dry, desolate
California highways. He used some truly creative shots from different
angles. Speeding shots from the hood of cars, closeups of David's
face, and shots from cameras following in front and behind the cars
make the audience feel like they are right there in the action.
Dennis Weaver puts on a strong performance, especially considering
that he really doesn't have any costars. He interacts with people
here and there, but for the most part, it's just him and an unknown
assailant that never speaks and is never revealed. We get to listen
in to David's thoughts on what is occurring, such as in the cafe, and
it's a great window into his current state of mind. We get fear,
anxiety, anger, and confusion. These are all very real emotions that
any of us would be having in the same situation. The truck driver is
unrelenting and we just want David to make it out OK.
Keep on truckin'
While it may not be a traditional
horror movie, Duel is very thrilling and scary on an everyday level.
The story is thrilling and completely believable, making it all the
more entertaining. Steven Spielberg really shines in this movie and
it is no surprise he has gone on to win so many awards and make so
many great movies. Dennis Weaver's performance really puts the movie
over the top as he runs through the gamut of emotions and really acts
without any help from costars. If you like Hitchcock and you like
your horror set in the real world, you'll really enjoy Duel.
8.5/10
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