Duel (1971) TV Movie

Probable Score

Not Enough Info

Rate It

Your Score

(0 - 100)

A business commuter is pursued and terrorized by a malevolent driver of a massive tractor-trailer (imdb)

More Information and Actions

Cast and Information

Directed By: Steven Spielberg

Written By: Richard Matheson

Starring: Dennis Weaver, Lucille Benson, Jacqueline Scott, Shirley O'Hara, Gene Dynarski, Lou Frizzell, Eddie Firestone, Tim Herbert, Charles Seel, Carey Loftin

Genres: Suspense/Thriller, Action, Mystery

Country: USA

Where to Stream

Invalid Trailer

Ratings

Collections

Stats

Loading...
loading

Duel belongs to 38 collections

1. Features under 91 minutes (collaborative: moderated by epiphany - 56 stars)

2. Psychotronic Film and Video Guides (collaborative: moderated by Gregzilla - 40 stars)

3. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2008 revision) (collaborative: moderated by Scottathon - 39 stars)

4. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2010 revision) (collaborative: moderated by MMAlpha - 32 stars)

5. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2014 revision) (collaborative: moderated by Jehan - 27 stars)

6. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2012 revision) (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 25 stars)

7. 24 hour (or less) timeframe (collaborative: moderated by djross - 24 stars)

8. They Shoot Pictures' Recommended Viewing (collaborative: moderated by Cinephile - 19 stars)

9. The Best Hitchcock Movies (That Hitchcock Never Made) (collaborative: moderated by teckgecko - 17 stars)

10. Directorial debut (collaborative: moderated by djross - 16 stars)

11. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2013 revision) (collaborative: moderated by rant1229 - 16 stars)

12. Edgar Wright 1000 Favorite Movies (Aug 2016) (collaborative: moderated by Aron Ericson - 16 stars)

13. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2011 revision) (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 14 stars)

14. Films available in HD (collaborative: moderated by kubricksucks - 13 stars)

15. Road Trip (collaborative: moderated by td888 - 12 stars)

16. Rue Morgue Magazine's 200 Alternative Horror Films You Need to See (public: jimmyjazz - 11 stars)

17. Telemovie (collaborative - 6 stars)

18. Voiceover narration (collaborative: moderated by djross - 5 stars)

19. Very Small Cast (collaborative: moderated by shalev - 5 stars)

20. 500 essential cult films (not seen) (public: cayh - 5 stars)

21. Top 3000 movies with the most votes on IMDb (public: fanfic - 5 stars)

22. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2007 revision) (collaborative: moderated by Scottathon - 4 stars)

23. cultfilms (public: medium123 - 4 stars)

24. Coheed's Films I Need To See Or Try To Track Down (public: Coheed - 3 stars)

25. Daylight Horror (collaborative: moderated by birgitbrause - 1 star)

26. Trucksploitation (collaborative: moderated by iconogassed - 1 star)

27. Movies to See: Horror/Suspense (public: Lord Moe - 1 star)

28. Carsploitation (collaborative: moderated by ForrestQ)

29. Ratings (collaborative: moderated by cheapthrills)

30. BMIRussian movies list (collaborative: moderated by SibVIc)

31. Directed By Steven Spielberg (collaborative: moderated by Jerky)

32. Trucks and Trucking (collaborative: moderated by Grumblebutt)

33. BF-70 (public: caffe)

34. Filmspotting Ratings Project: Week 32 (public: PeaceAnarchy)

35. Forrest Watch List (public: ForrestQ)

36. Dunstan's DVD Collection (public: Dunstan-xxx)

37. 1970s Mile High Club (public: Dunstan-xxx)

38. 100 essential thrillers (public: rocketrac19)

Browse the full list of collections

Show:

All Ratings | With Reviews

Order by:

TCI | Percentile | Date Rated | # Stars (Reviews)

Stars	User	Rating
3	triffid	88 _77th
"Duel" plainly shows how incredibly talented a filmmaker young Spielberg was. Minimalistic and thrilling. Highly recommended.
3	chow25	80 _72nd
Great simple suspense movie. Proves that you can make a good TV movie with no money if you're talented.
3	KasperL	80 _86th
Spielberg's incredible debut is minimalistic, effectively suspenseful and stylistically inventive, with smart choices like going handheld when Mann is dizzy. Weaver is cast perfectly and the voice-over worked well. The only gripe is that you can fault the logic of his character's actions (why not turn back or wait it out on the top of a hill?) but this is dealt with through the theme of masculinity. And, really, would you be able to think clearly under these circumstances? Nail-bitingly intense.
3	spleen	98 _99th
Minus two points for not using an ice cream truck. That would've been awesome. Great acting, directing, editing and pacing. I miss GOOD Spielberg movies.
2	djross	60 _62nd
Probably the pinnacle of Spielberg's career. Also his first film.
2	Alex Watkins	3 _38th
An interesting first feature from Spielberg. It manages to create suspense with almost a complete lack of plot. I mean, really, it's just a truck chasing a guy. You never even see the driver. It's weird. But entertaining.
2	joseywales	63 _40th
You can't beat me on the grade!
2	frederic_g54	6 _35th
Everyone's gotta start somewhere I guess. With 'Duel', Spielberg gives character development the middle finger and despite some neat suspense, the story was tediously protracted. And don't get me started on that climax, what a total cop-out -- it clearly read "FLAMMABLE", you bearded douche!
2	luc	95 _98th
Excellent suspense road-movie of Spielberg, one of the best I've ever seen ! Great !
2	hellboy76	68 _65th
Made about as well as a movie can be made for this budget. It feels a bit dated but still remains effective. Good taut thriller.
2	SpikyCactus	75 _64th
Top badass moment? “You can't beat me on the grade!” As I frequently drive automatic, 3.5t vans limited to the same speed as most lorries, this is my battle cry of choice when dealing with them; (especially along the A34 through Oxfordshire, which has a lot of hills). I reckon I can best about 95%, given enough dual carriageway. Unfortunately, the other 5% make me feel I'm more inadequate than David Mann, such is the humiliation of being overtaken by one. No cats, chainsaws or decapitations.
2	Paxton	73 _73rd
The truck has more personality than a lot of the slasher villains. Not as much personality as that truck from Maximum Overdrive though. Instead of AC/DC blasting throughout, there's an excellent minimalist score from Billy Goldenberg. Evidently Spielberg cut half of the scripted lines. This from guy who had Daniel Day Lewis look directly into the camera and say, "I'm Lincoln, bitch." although I might remember that wrong.
1	jpdoumeyrou	85 _88th
a masterful lesson in movie-making Must see !!!
1	smeghead	100 _94th
There is nothing better than a ghost truck wanting to kill! The entire movie is one giant truck chase and I everyminute is perfect. Oh Spielberg you will never make anything better!
1	Pickpocket	5 _44th
Not a terrible film but you can't help but wonder what it would be like if Spielberg made it today. But then you realize that cell phones exist and thus the premise of this movie would be stupid as shit today. Still pretty good and you can see some obvious Spielberg themes and camera work already at play. About as good as a no budget TV film can get.
1	legstump	85 _93rd
I have been laughed at in 11 countries for claiming this is better than Jaws. 12 if you include protectorates of Denmark. Yet I still stand by that remark.
1	Paradiselost	79 _64th
In your face, Death proof.
1	MJVmovieMan	80 _79th
Spielberg's first outing as a director, and it's actually brilliant and suspenseful.
1	UKWinker	87 _60th
A superbly tight little thriller which hangs largely on the performance of Dennis Weaver. I wonder what became of the promising young director who made it?
1	tonydal	95 _97th
The scene with the sandwich I still think is one of the funniest in movies. The only debit is that Weaver's VOs are a bit (make that quite a bit) hammy at times.
1	AstralArtist	90 _74th
Spielburg's first major film remains one of the best made for tv films ever produced.
1	lumpnboy	60 _68th
Without a doubt Spielberg's finest achievement.
1	Fran020584	80 _54th
Cool - edge of your seat stuff
1	kav	84 _84th
So so simple, and so brilliantly executed.
1	ted	80 _70th
Incredible how much Spielberg does with so little here. This bare bones story of little more than a car chase somehow held me rapt.
1	Green Goblin	63 _77th
Has some good suspense. But the chase scenes, at some parts, dragged too long. The ending was too abrupt. It would've been better if (SPOILER AHEAD!) we knew who the truck driver was and all that stuff. (END SPOILER) This film would've been better if it were a mystery . Btw, this film was better than ALL of the Spielberg films I've seen (E.T, Jaws, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones).
1	Castroph	9 _96th
Thin, thin plot surpassed by the menacing tension. Don't think Steven will ever live up to this.
1	Optimus_mike	75 _59th
Life without a cell phone is scary shit.
1	FaultFinder	80 _84th
This is a simple and very straightforward suspense movie. Yet it's done in a highly engrossing and effective manner - and it's good fun!
1	forehead1	70 _87th
There's only so much you can get out of this very thin premise but Spielberg milks it for all it's worth, showing a startling early flair that lifts Duel well above its made-for-TV roots. Few films manage to conjure up the suspense created here - I remember first seeing this as a young kid and being completely transfixed - and the truck is genuinely one of the most menacing baddies in cinema history. Personally I still think the finale's a bit weak, but I suppose it had to end somehow.
1	ribcage	77 _71st
i like car movies. i like spielberg. they went together pretty well. it can drag like any 70s car movie, but the internal dialogue helps out both for keeping you from noticing the slow moments but also ramps up the tension and suspense.
1	doyler29	90 _86th
This magnificently simple film is kind of Spielberg's directorial debut ... it's a TV movie, and he had only directed TV series work before this, and this was released theatrically in Europe ... and it's a remarkably effective piece of work. It's pacing is flawless and it keeps up the suspense throughout. A lot of the credit belongs to Richard Matheson who's screenplay avries the circumstances enough to avoid monotony. This is effectively the audition reel for "Jaws".

Average Percentile 60.92% from 2437 Ratings