Duel (1971)
That Steven Spielberg sure earned his career. This was the movie that earned him Jaws, but rather than the tale of a shark, it’s one long car chase that’s truly harrowing. A salesman is out trying to make a meeting in another state when he tries to pass a slow moving truck; the truck responds by pulling ahead of him, then slowing down again. It’s a moment of impatience and tension a lot of us have driven through, but it begins a game of cat and mouse, out in the middle of nowhere, where no one can help him.
Especially for a 1970s made-for-TV movie, Duel is masterful.
How do you keep such a simple film from getting visually boring? He films the
cars from all angles, and ___ gives a riveting performance as a man falling
behind the wheel. The use of music is sparing, often subtle, elevate the rumble
of engines and the wind of the wilderness. The movie always knows when to take
you in closer to our driver, or when to focus on the enigma of the truck. We
never see the man that’s chasing us. There’s only his titanic vehicle.
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