Despite its TV origins and simple plot structure, Duel works extremely well as a piece of cinema and showcases Spielberg’s early ability to craft a series of brilliantly sustained tense action sequences despite the minimal budget he had. The lack of time and money also shows Spielberg at his most creative - peppering the film with some clever tracking shots around the vehicles whilst reusing footage from different angles to give the illusion of distance travelled and creating a sense of urgency and speed throughout from the way in which the vehicles were shot. Weaver’s performances is also excellent, from his initial uncertainty and panic to a finale that leaves him slightly unhinged and desperate and he is probably one of Spielberg’s most relatable everyman - his initial need to rationalise and avoid confrontation despite what is happening and his final manic reaction to the resolution mirroring how most people in the audience would probably react. A voiceover to elaborate on his thoughts at certain points in the film and some scenes to provide background on his character prove unnecessary and are the film's only false note.

Simple but effective. One of the first movie of Steven Spielberg and you can already discover his talent. The truck remind me a lot of The Wages of Fear, I don't know if he has taken his inspiration from this movie but i like it. A must see !

Finally saw this. I enjoyed the tension, but felt like the protagonist was the worst driver in history swerving all over the road once he hit 70mph lol and smashing into things throughout. A tense situation for sure, but he handled it horribly. His reactions to things seemed pretty over the top at times or nonsensical. All that said still a solid beginning for Spielberg. He was only ~25 when he made this. 6.3 for me, probably higher if I saw it upon release and it wasn't 50+ yrs old.

A classic. You have to see this. W/o question. BUT... let's be realistic, horrible acting and extreme overacting. Sometimes painful to watch. But still, impressive how you can make a movie with a semi, a car, and some extras....

Fun little action piece from an unknown director, but it’s no A Deadly Encounter (2004)