


Mann phones his wife, who is upset with him after an argument the previous night. Mann pulls into a gas station and the truck parks next to him. When Mann overtakes and passes it again, the truck blasts its horn. Mann passes the truck but it speeds up, roars past him, then resumes driving slowly. It has since been recognized as an influential cult classic and one of the greatest films ever made for television.ĭavid Mann, a middle-aged salesman driving on a business trip in a Plymouth Valiant sedan, encounters a dilapidated tanker truck driving slowly in the Mojave Desert. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with Spielberg's direction being singled out for praise. It later received an international theatrical release in an extended version featuring scenes shot after the film's original TV broadcast. Produced by Universal Television, Duel originally aired as a part of the ABC Movie of the Week series on November 13, 1971. The screenplay by Richard Matheson adapts his own short story of the same name. However, he finds himself chased and terrorized by the mostly unseen driver of a semi-truck. It centers on a business commuter, played by Dennis Weaver, driving his car through California to meet a client. Duel is a 1971 American action-thriller television film directed by Steven Spielberg.
