Friday, November 6, 2015

100 Scariest Movie Moments: #67 Duel

I’ve debated whether or not Duel deserves to be called “the only Made-For-TV movie to make this list.” The version I watched was the extended, 90-minute version, specifically made for theatrical release in Europe. That said though, it never got a theatrical release in its country of origin (the United States) as far as I can tell, and it was made to be shown on television. However, I’ve decided that this is a stupid question to be asking, and I’ve limited myself to “this is a good movie, that we probably wouldn’t remember if it hadn’t been directed by Steven Spielberg at a time when no one cared who Steven Spielberg was.”



The movie is about at traveling salesman (Dennis Weaver) who passes an 18-wheeler. The driver, who we never see clearly, passes him back in a fit of road rage. This game continues until the next stop. And from there on the movie becomes a game of cat-and-mouse from one stop the next, with the truck driver becoming increasingly aggressive and increasingly violent towards the salesman, eventually trying to kill him.



It would probably be a mistake to say that either character undergoes “development.” We don’t find out a lot that’s significant about the salesman, and we find out nothing about the driver. However, in place of traditional development, we have the two characters gradually adapting to the situation. The salesman’s priorities shift as the driver becomes more aggressive. Initially, he’s simply concerned about getting to his destination. Then he’s concerned about avoiding the truck driver. And finally, he’s simply trying to ensure his own survival.



The truck driver meanwhile starts out as merely being annoying before his driving becomes frantic and dangerous. This creates a fairly episodic narrative, in which the tensions gradually rise as the incidents between the two drivers become increasingly deadly. For the first hour or so of the movie, the truck driver seems unwilling to harm the salesman while witnesses are around. So the salesman is able to stop at a diner to reflect on his situation, as well as seek out a confrontation with the truck driver in person. However, this doesn’t work out, since he’s unable to determine which diner patron is the truck driver.



The final straw which brings us into the last act of the film appears to be the salesman trying to contact the police. The truck driver levels the phone booth, and from then on pays no regard to witnesses. His sole focus is now murder.



The movie is not realistic. There are times when the salesman is out of the truck driver’s sight, so logically he should have the option of taking another route or turning around entirely, but this option is never even considered. His only attempt to simply avoid the truck driver is to stop his car by the side of the road and take a nap, which proves completely ineffective since the truck driver simply waits for him. Still, the purpose of this movie is not to portray a realistic method of dealing with road rage. It’s to put two characters into conflict, from which only one of them can emerge. That’s literally in the title of the movie.



Of course, I suppose that you could justify the duel portrayed in this film as simply being a matter of pride. Dennis Weaver does an excellent job of establishing the salesman as cocky, but not unlikable. Meaning that towards the end of the movie, his attempts to “win” the duel don’t necessarily come across merely a struggle to survive, because he’s scared. He’s also mad, and that shines through the performance.



The movie also benefits vastly from a premise that allows most of it to be shot on ordinary roads with two vehicles. It never feels cheap, although the budget is clearly quite low. This is more or less what it would look like if an insane truck driver tried to kill a travelling salesman.



This is a fun movie, and I recommend it. It’s short enough that it doesn’t overstay its welcome, and while plenty of Spielberg’s later work may have been better, I really don’t see any flaws in this movie to speak of.

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