Who knew that a made-for-T.V movie could actually be…what’s the word I’m looking for? Oh, yeah; good. Back before he was known as one of the most powerful forces in Hollywood, Steven Spielberg worked the small screen on such shows as NIGHT GALLERY, COLUMBO, and Marcus WELBY M.D. Then, in the year nineteen hundred and seventy one, came DUEL. Based on a short story (found in Playboy magazine, no less) DUEL’s premise is remarkably simple; an insurance salesman (Dennis Weaver) in a station wagon on a lonely stretch of desert road inadvertently angers the psychotic driver of a massive semi. Throughout the next ninety minutes, Weaver tries desperately to out-maneuver the driver, but, ultimately, he must face his fears in one terrifying showdown.

What sounds like a typical chase movie becomes an exercise in sheer terror in the hands of Steven Spielberg. Because you never get to see the face of the driver, the truck itself becomes a character in and of itself. Weaver is perfectly cast as the salesman, making you feel his fear and lack of control. All in all, this film gives me hope that, at some point in history, T.V (or at least the movies on T.V) could have been somewhat entertaining.