Here it is: the mother of all TV movies. This is the flick people always talk about when they discuss how great TV movies can be. The movie deserves all the praise it gets; it's one of the most suspenseful and exciting TV flicks ever made. In fact, it might not be an exaggeration to say that it's one of the most suspenseful movies of Steven Spielberg's career. It's not quite as scary and exciting as Jaws, but it's up there. Duel has a simple plot: like the title says, the movie contains a duel between two people. Instead of guns or swords, however, the duelists use their cars. David Mann (Dennis Weaver) is a timid businessman who's struggling to retain his manhood after an embarrassing incident with his wife. Everything about Mann cries "wimp!": his whiny voice, his doormat attitude, and even Mann's car, a gutless Plymouth Valiant. Mann gets a chance to reclaim his manhood when he's terrorised by a mysterious semi driver (Carey Loftin). Mann's car is useless against the tanker. Ultimately, Mann turns to the only strength he has - his wits - to defeat the driver. Duel is the first time that Spielberg's talents shine through in full force. The film is beautifully shot; Jack A. Marta, the cinematographer, did a fantastic job photographing the deserts Mann & the truck driver drive through. The movie moves at a lightning-fast pace, courtesy of Richard Matheson's teleplay. There's never a boring moment; there's either car-on-car action on the road or quietly suspenseful scenes. The result of all this fine work is a a TV movie that's as perfect as a TV movie ever gets. Well, there you have it: 10 TV movies that deserve your attention. What others have we missed? Let us know in the comments section below.
Alan Howell is a native of Southern California. He loves movies of any and all kinds, Hollywood, indie, and everywhere in between. He loves pizza, sitcoms, rock and pop music, surfing, baseball, reading, and girls (not necessarily in that order).
