Sweet Dick Whittington as Radio InterviewerĪppears only in the theatrical version.Alexander Lockwood as Jim, Old Man in Car.Dale Van Sickel served as Weaver's stunt driver.He then sits at the cliff's edge and throws stones into the canyon as the sun begins to set.
The truck plunges over the cliff, along with the car, as the driver sounds the truck's horn. The truck hits the car, which bursts into flames, obscuring the driver's view.
He turns to face the truck in front of a canyon, locks the accelerator using his briefcase, then steers the car into the oncoming truck, jumping free at the last moment. He manages to restart his car, then drive up a dirt road with the truck following him. Mann spins out and crashes into a cliff wall, barely escaping being crushed by the truck. Losing speed, he barely reaches the summit but then coasts downhill in neutral as the truck follows. The faulty radiator hose of Mann's car breaks, causing the strained engine to overheat and begin failing. The truck chases him up a mountain range.
Mann swerves towards what he believes is a police car, only to see it is a pest-control vehicle. The truck stops before hitting Mann's car and Mann speeds past the truck, which begins pursuing. Mann seeks help from an elderly couple in a car but they flee when the truck backs up towards them at high speed. Mann attempts to speed past but it moves across the road, blocking him. Around a corner, he pulls off the road, hiding behind an embankment as the truck drives past.Īfter a long wait, Mann heads off again but the truck is waiting for him again down the road. The station owner cries out as the truck destroys her animals' cages. Mann stops at a gas station/roadside animal attraction, consisting prominently of rattlesnakes, to call the police and replace his radiator hose but when he steps into the phone booth, the truck drives into it Mann jumps clear just in time. He pulls out in front of him and starts antagonizing him again. Once again, he encounters the truck, which has pulled off to the side of the road ahead, intentionally waiting for Mann. In an attempt to create more distance between him and the truck, Mann drives at a very leisurely pace, as other motorists pass him. The truck continues down the road and Mann slowly follows. The train passes, and Mann crosses the tracks and pulls over. The truck appears from behind and pushes Mann's car towards the oncoming Southern Pacific freight train. Shortly after, down the road, Mann stops at a railroad crossing waiting for a freight train to pass through. He and the bus driver then free his car and Mann drives from the scene as the truck helps push the school bus onto the road. The truck appears at the end of a tunnel, causing Mann to panic. Mann leaves the diner and soon stops to help a stranded school bus but his front bumper gets caught underneath the bus's rear bumper. The pursuing truck leaves the diner seconds later, indicating that its driver had never entered the premises. The confused and offended patron beats Mann and leaves in a different truck. He studies the patrons and confronts one (wearing the same type of boots as the truck driver) he believes to be the truck driver.
Upon returning from the restroom, he sees the truck parked outside. Mann then enters the restaurant to compose himself. Mann swerves his car off the road, loses control, and crashes sideways into a fence across from a diner as the truck continues down the road. The truck then tailgates Mann's car at increasingly high speed. Mann finally passes the truck using an unpaved turnout next to the highway then glances at his rear window and waves as the speed of the truck decreases. After antagonizing Mann for a while, the driver waves him past but Mann nearly hits an oncoming vehicle. It has since been recognized as an influential cult classic.ĭavid Mann (Dennis Weaver) being chased by the truckīack on the road, the truck catches up, passes then blocks Mann's path each time he attempts to pass. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with Spielberg's direction being singled out for praise.
Originally aired as a television film as part of the ABC Movie of the Week series on November 13, 1971, Duel later received an international theatrical release in an extended version featuring scenes shot after the film's original broadcast. Mann finds himself chased and terrorized by the mostly-unseen driver of a tractor-trailer. The film marks the feature-length directorial debut of Steven Spielberg, was produced by Universal Television and distributed by Universal Pictures.ĭennis Weaver portrays David Mann, a business commuter driving his car through California while on his way to meet a client. Duel is a 1971 American action thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Richard Matheson, which is based on his own 1971 short story, also titled Duel.