Episode 76: Duel (1971)

I revisit Steven Spielberg’s Duel, the film that announced the arrival of one of cinema’s greatest filmmakers. What begins as a simple moment of road frustration turns into a terrifying game of cat and mouse between Dennis Weaver and an unseen truck driver.

Coming back to it now, I was struck by how much of Spielberg’s future style is already here — the suspense, the ordinary person facing something overwhelming, and the ability to turn something completely familiar into a nightmare.

A simple story, brilliantly executed, and a fascinating glimpse at the filmmaker Spielberg was about to become.