Somewhere on a desert highway, David Mann, your American average Joe, is on his way to a client. He is going his average 60mph, when a rusty truck thwarts him off. In order to stay on schedule, David is forced to overtake it. However, the truck refuses to remain in David’s rear view mirror, accelerates and passes him in return. Soon enough, what begins as a seemingly innocent tease by a highway hooligan quickly escalates into a chase; switching lanes between life threatening safety hazards and psycho terror …
In 1971, 24-year-old Steven Spielberg delivers his astonishing debut Duel that already shows the young director’s incomparable ability to create tension. Comparisons to Jaws are inevitable; just exchange one white shark for one rusty, fuming, droning truck – a beastly machine that seems to develop a mind of its own. The never revealed face of the driver is replaced by the monstrosity of a radiator grill and a pair of headlights that resemble the eyes of a psychopath. Gradually, the boundaries between man and machine begin to blur. This is a movie packed with symbolism and room for interpretation, or simply a terrific action thriller; captivating from the very first to the very last second.
Alexander Streb, translated by Alicia Schümperli
