Duel: The Review

A Traveler's Fear

"Duel" has been one of my favorite movies ever since I saw it a few years ago. The idea of a lone vehicle being chased through vast areas of nothingness seems exciting, if you're a car nut like me.

The movie starts out with David Mann in his 1971 Plymouth Valiant driving through the city, eventually leading onto the desolate two-lane highway on which the journey turns frantic.

After driving into what seems like nothingness, a second vehicle, a battered 1940s Peterbilt gas tanker, driving way under the posted speed limit appears on the screen.

As Mann gets fed up with the trucker's inconsistent driving behavior (speeding up on straights, slowing too much on blind curves), he swings out in an attempt to pass. No dice. If at first you don't succeed, try again. Finally, he does get around the dusty, rust-laden truck. No 15 seconds later though the truck barrels past him and cuts him off to barely make a sharp, blind S curve only to slow down. Panicking that the truck is once again ahead of him, he attempts to pass using a dirt/gravel turnoff road. He gets around the truck and he's so happy about doing so, he fails to realize the Peterbilt is quickly gaining on him. With each period of tailgating comes more horn-honks from the trucker, and Mann begins to panic and he starts sweating.

Mann's Valiant skids and slides into the parking lot of what appears to be the only cafe around, and two onlookers ask him if he's all right. "I'm fine.. really I'm fine", he stutters as he notices the truck that's been chasing him is parked directly across from him in the parking lot.

As the car chase ensues, the truck manages to evade both mechanical and physical damage, whereas the Valiant is scarred both mechanically and physically, a sign of Mann's general weakness.

The movie ends with Mann putting his briefcase on the gas pedal of his Valiant and letting it careen into the truck, rather than letting the truck careen into it. As a final hurrah, or a final downer, depending on which way you look at it, both vehicles tumble down the rocky cliff and land in a pile of twisted rubble that looks frighteningly reminiscent of what an actual mountainside car-semi collision would look like.

The moviegoer never finds out who the truck driver is, or why he had the fascination with Mann's vehicle. Was it because the trucker was lonely and wanted some fun, or perhaps Mann did something to the trucker off camera? We'll never know. But I do know this: If I'm ever in California and accosted by an enraged trucker, you can bet I'd want something a little more reliable and durable than a 1971 Plymouth Valiant.
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