If you haven't seen the movie "Duel" (1971), INSP plans to air it at 10 PM EDT this Sunday night.

The first movie I ever saw that scared me was about a motorcycle rider wearing black leather and a black helmet. The person went around carrying a pistol with a silencer shooting people. When my mother realized I was getting scared, she turned it off and sent me to bed; I have no idea what the movie was or how it ended. I was about 5 or 6.

Fast forward a couple of years and "Duel" was the first movie that gave me a real thrill bordering on scaring me. It was a TV movie starring Dennis Weaver (of Gunsmoke and McCloud fame) and it was directed by a young TV filmmaker by the name of Stephen Spielberg. It was his first major full length movie and features Weaver having an altercation with a truck driver who won't let it drop. Practically the entire movie is one long chase scene as Weaver tries to escape.

It was originally to be a TV movie (there were lots of those back then), but when it was screened some time before airing, the producers received such good feedback on it that they sent Spielberg back to film a few more scenes so it would be long enough that they could do a theatrical release with it, too (another 1970s phenomenon). Spielberg showed a lot of promise with this production, and he was rewarded with lots of new work shortly thereafter.

It's been 35 to 40 years since my last viewing so I'm looking forward seeing it again this Sunday. If you haven't seen it (or have and enjoyed it), check it out.

Great movie. Dennis Weaver beat the stuffings out of that Dodge Dart (I think it was a Dart).

The cafe scene was pretty intense, trying to figure out who or where the trucker was.

I'll be watching it again. Thanks for the heads up!

Very well done for its day.

PC

One of my favorites. I have it on DVD. There was a remake put out in 2015 called Wrecker but I haven't seen it cuz it looks like total B-movie garbage.

quote:

Originally posted by Orguss:
There was a remake put out in 2015 called Wrecker but I haven't seen it cuz it looks like total B-movie garbage.

Good call. You were right. I watched it not knowing that and was 1/3 of the way through when I was like, "Hey, is this Duel?"

Lots of old movies on youtube from the 1960s 1970s including Duel. I've seen it about dozen times over the years and have the DVD. Duel is a amazing simple yet so effective movie

Agree. Duel is a great flick. Another early Spielberg road movie: Sugarland Express.

quote:

Originally posted by recoatlift:
Great movie. Dennis Weaver beat the stuffings out of that Dodge Dart (I think it was a Dart).

The cafe scene was pretty intense, trying to figure out who or where the trucker was.

I'll be watching it again. Thanks for the heads up!

Plymouth Valiant.

I agree it was an excellent and scary movie. If I remember, it started out as a short story in Playboy. It was scary there also as you had to use your imagination.