Duel (film)

Duel is a thriller, and the storyline centres around a traveling salesman, played by Dennis Weaver[?], driving home on the back roads of the Californian desert.

As he is driving home, the salesman is terrorised by a large anonymous truck, which repeatedly chases and attempts to kill him. The driver of the truck is never seen throughout the movie.

Despite its simple plot and low budget (the film cost only $375,000 to make) the movie, mainly though Spielberg's direction, manages to create a great deal of suspense. This movie attracted much attention to the young Spielberg and allowed him to move beyond directing made for T.V. movies and television episodes.

There is debate among afficiandos of the film over whether the truck is driven by a lunatic, or whether it is actually a 'ghost truck'.