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Directed by: Steven Spielberg Written by: Richard Matheson, based on his published story Starring: Dennis Weaver What the box says: Before spinning cinematic gold from sharks, dinosaurs and homesick aliens, a young Steven Spielberg directed this high-velocity thriller about an innocent motorist terrorized by an evil truck. Spielberg's first full-length movie, Duel helped jumpstart the director's big-screen career, with a gripping, action-packed story hailed by critics as a film that "...belongs on the classics shelf reserved for top suspensers" (Daily Variety). Dennis Weaver stars as the traveling salesman waging a desperate battle for survival after he is mysteriously singled out for destruction. Praised for its deft use of relentlessly mounting psychological tension, Duel features one of the most uniquely terrifying "characters" in movie history: a massive, roaring 40-ton truck with more sheer menace than most flesh-and-blood villains. But Steven Spielberg was, literally, just getting started. A few years later, the action of Spielberg's blockbuster hit Jaws would echo Duel's tale of a lone hero in a heart-stopping fight to the finish against a monstrous, inhuman foe. Brent's Note: Though called "Spielberg's first full-length movie," Duel actually originated as a 74-minute made-for-TV movie. After becoming a huge hit on American TV screens, the movie was shown theatrically in Europe (which was pretty common in those days). As a result, 16 minutes were added to the running time to bring it up to a "feature-lenghth" 90 minutes. This European cut is the one provided on this DVD. |
