Everything Action Theater: Duel

Originally released as a made-for-TV movie in 1971, Duel was one of the projects that kicked off Steven Spielberg’s film career and eventually got a limited domestic theatrical release in 1983, this weekend being the 40th anniversary of that release.  Written by the great Richard Matheson based on his short story of the same name, Duel stars Dennis Weaver as David Mann.  While driving through the Mojave Desert, he runs afoul of an unseen, malevolent trucker, who drags David into a life-or-death battle on the road.  Lots of lessons learned in Duel would carry over to future Spielberg projects, like Jaws, and the movie is considered a cult classic and one of the greatest TV movies ever made.  You can watch Duel below thanks to YouTube.