Movie review - "Duel" (1971) ***1/2

The people who love this movie seem to be the ones who just happen upon it - "I saw this movie and it was really great" etc. I'd received a bit of hype before hand so, while I wasn't let down, I wasn't amazed. It remains an impressive piece of work, a clever "what if" scenario from Richard Matheson well worked out (though towards the end why doesn't he just get a lift off that old couple?), and energetic direction from a young Steven Spielberg who made his name from this. Clever things: casting nerdy Dennis Weaver as the man tormented by a truck and having him drive a crap car. As those who do a lot of driving on country highways know, the scenario is all too believable.