History Film / Duel

* OhCrap: Mann's reaction when he sees the truck again. Also when his car begins breaking down.

* BatmanGambit: Mann's plan at the end is to get the truck on high ground where he can easily outrun him, which is dependent on the truck not killing him first as well as his radiator horses working properly.

* BatmanGambit: Mann's plan at the end is to get the truck on high ground where he can easily outrun him, which is dependent on the truck not killing him first as well as his radiator horses working correctly.

* BatmanGambit: Mann's plan at the end is to get the truck on high ground where he can easily outrun him, which is dependent on the truck not killing him first as well as his radiatior horses working correctly.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: "You said there would be no problem getting home on time!"

* TheFaceless: The driver of the truck is never seen in full. The audience only ever sees the arm of the trucker in one scene, his snakeskin boots in another, and a brief shadowy glimpse at the end. Of course, this is to emphasize that the truck itself is the main enemy.

* ReptilesAreAbhorrent: As if Mann wasn't having a bad enough day already..

<<|{{Film}}|>>

* HeyItsThatGuy: Mann is [[{{Gunsmoke}} Chester Goode]]. Or perhaps Sam [=McCloud=].

* {{Narm}}: Dennis Weaver's readings of Mann's {{Inner Monologue}}s arguably fall into this.

* ChekovsGun: [[spoiler:The radiator hose.]]

* SpiritualSuccessor: ''Roadgames'' (1981) and (some say) ''Joy Ride'' (2001).

* {{Better Than It Sounds}}: An ''entire movie'' about a guy being followed by a truck in the desert? It sounds horribly boring, but it's actually pretty good.
* CompleteMonster: When the actor/stuntman playing the truck-driver asked Spielberg what his character's motivation was, Spielberg replied "You're a dirty, rotten, no-good son of a bitch."

* InnerMonologue: Dennis Weaver's readings of which arguably venture into {{Narm}}ish territory.

* TheFaceless: The driver of the truck is never seen in full. The audience only ever sees the arm of the trucker in one scene, his snakeskin boots in another, and a brief shadowy glimpse at the end. Of course, this is to emphasize that the truck is the enemy.

* HeyItsThatGuy: Mann is [[{{Gunsmoke}} Chester Proudfoot]]. Or perhaps Sam [=McCloud=].

* InnerMonologue

[[caption-width-right:232:Hold on, I'll call you back. [[{{Understatement}} This guy behind me is being a douche.]]]]

* ActionSurvivor - At no time does Mann decide to be a hero. He just wants to survive.
* {{Better Than It Sounds}} - An ''entire movie'' about a guy being followed by a truck in the desert? It sounds horribly boring, but it's actually pretty good.
* CompleteMonster - When the actor/stuntman playing the truck-driver asked Spielberg what his character's motivation was, Spielberg replied "You're a dirty, rotten, no-good son of a bitch."
* TheFaceless - The driver of the truck is never seen in full. The audience only ever sees the arm of the trucker in one scene, his snakeskin boots in another, and a brief shadowy glimpse at the end. Of course, this is to emphasize that the truck is the enemy.

* MadeOfExplodium - Both followed and averted. At the climax, [[spoiler:Mann's car]] bursts into flames on impact, but [[spoiler:the truck]] survives the fall into the canyon with no explosions or fire.
** FridgeBrilliance - [[spoiler: David's]] car was given a nice splattering of gasoline on the hood when the gas attendant got sloppy with the hose. This is what caught on fire, not the car itself.

* RailroadTracksOfDoom - Mann is nearly pushed into a moving train at a grade crossing by the truck.
* RealLifeWritesThePlot - Writer RichardMatheson based the story on an account he had where a truck driver started tailgating him on his way home from a golfing match. (Interestingly, it happened on the day JFK was assassinated.)
* ReptilesAreAbhorrent - As if Mann wasn't having a bad enough day already..
* SerialKiller - A careful examination of the truck reveals that the driver has done this before, several times.

[[caption-width-right:Hold on, I'll call you back. [[{{Understatement}} This guy behind me is being a douche]]]]

----

[[quoteright:333:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/duel_dvd.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:333:Hold on, I'll call you back. [[{{Understatement}} This guy behind me is being a douche]].]]

David Mann, milquetoast businessman, is driving across the Californian desert in his underpowered car when he passes a slow-moving semi-truck. Much to his surprise, the truck proceeds to pass him and slow down again. This repeats a number of times, and finally David pulls over into a gas station to get away from the truck. Except that it stops with him. As the movie progresses, the truck continues to stalk David, getting more and more violent in its attacks, until David has no choice but to fight back.

* MeaningfulName: David is an ordinary Mann.

* OneHundredScariestMovieMoments - Number 67