Truck you, man!: "Duel"

Sorry for the lack of posts. Out of town over the weekend, as most of you know, and then out sick. Sure, I was homebound, but I didn't exactly feel like painstakingly handcrafting the fine prose you're used to seeing here. (What? These things take at least five minutes to write. Sometimes six.)

In my weakened state I managed to revisit a classic suspense movie that's mostly known for being the first full-length film directed by Steven Spielberg. Perhaps you've heard of him? "Duel" actually was made for TV but has hung around a lot longer than most of that ilk. It's no "V," but it's pretty good.

Our story is stunningly simple. Guy driving to a business appointment in SoCal, outside El Lay, comes upon a truck driver, passes him and soon regrets it. Why? Because the truck driver, whom we never see, apparently is psycho. How else to explain why he stalks poor Dennis Weaver, the aptly named Mr. Mann?

You'd think Spielberg couldn't get much mileage -- pun intended -- out of this. You'd be wrong, although it's fair to ask some questions. Namely ... why not just turn around and go home? Or why not wait this freak out in the diner? Still, Spielberg does a lot with a basic premise. Weaver's growing panic, increased internal monologue and madman cries -- "You can't beat me on the grade! You can't beat me on the grade!" -- contrast well with the villain's cool.

I'm not talking about the truck driver, but the truck itself: big snout, beady headlight eyes, rumbling engine, belching exhaust. All of that makes the truck something of a living creature, and the "FLAMMABLE" decals on the tanker trailer don't do anything to put us as ease.

While not perfect, "Duel" is impressive just for how much Spielberg does with so little. Weaver's good, too, but this is really about the storytelling, and it's not hard to see how at only 25, Spielberg was on his way to becoming one of the best storytellers in movie history. (This is where I'd make some kind of joke about "1941," but like I said, I've already been sick.)