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Duel

369 statements
72 feature instances
19 referencing feature instances

Duel	type	TVTItem
Duel	label	Duel
Duel	page	Duel
Duel	comment	A 1971 suspense/thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg.Milquetoast businessman David Mann (Dennis Weaver) is driving across the California desert in his red Plymouth Valiant 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 redneck nut.Except that the truck stops with him. As the movie progresses, the truck and its unseen driver continues to stalk David, getting more and more aggressive in its attacks, until David has no choice but to fight back.The first full-length feature directed by Spielberg, this Made-for-TV Movie was adapted from a short story by Richard Matheson (who also wrote the script). Shot in just two weeks, it turned out so well it was given a theatrical release in Europe featuring added scenes filmed after its first airing on television.Unrelated to an old kung-fu movie titled Duel Of The Iron Fist, which is titled The Duel in certain international releases and coincidentally also from 1971.
Duel	fetched	2024-04-08T13:30:43Z
Duel	parsed	2024-04-08T13:30:43Z
Duel	isPartOf	DBTropes
Duel	sameAs	http://dbpedia.org/resource/Duel_(1971_film)
Duel / int_127fc252	type	Creator Cameo
Duel / int_127fc252	comment	Creator Cameo: Two, both completely unintentional. You can see director Steven Spielberg's reflection in the phone booth, and, in the theatrical version, the change in aspect ratio reveals him in the back seat of the car in one shot.
Duel / int_127fc252	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_127fc252	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_127fc252
Duel / int_19862f70	type	Sinister Car
Duel / int_19862f70	comment	Sinister Car: The main antagonist of the movie is a truck which is treated almost as a living, sentient entity; the identity of the driver is deliberately obscured.
Duel / int_19862f70	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_19862f70	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_19862f70
Duel / int_19a5d773	type	They Look Just Like Everyone Else!
Duel / int_19a5d773	comment	They Look Just Like Everyone Else!: What little details the audience and Mann sees of the killer are so generic (cowboy boots and blue jeans) that every man in the diner fits the description.
Duel / int_19a5d773	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_19a5d773	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_19a5d773
Duel / int_1ad42ecd	type	The Glasses Come Off
Duel / int_1ad42ecd	comment	The Glasses Come Off: Inverted; Mann puts on his glasses as he is getting ready to have his final showdown with the truck.
Duel / int_1ad42ecd	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_1ad42ecd	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_1ad42ecd
Duel / int_1c445e86	type	Poor Communication Kills
Duel / int_1c445e86	comment	Poor Communication Kills: Mann could have asked the man at the diner which truck was his before he started blaming him. Instead fisticuffs ensued. In the original TV version, David sees that the man is wearing boots identical to those he saw at the gas station which leads him to incorrectly assume that that's the trucker he's after. He even thinks "Oh yeah, that's him, all right, that's him." This explanation was removed from the theatrical version which makes it seem like he just picked a random guy and hoped he was right.
Duel / int_1c445e86	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_1c445e86	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_1c445e86
Duel / int_1c4e3202	type	The Spook
Duel / int_1c4e3202	comment	The Spook: The truck driver's name and his reasons for why he chases and torments Mann are never made known. We don't even get to see more than the occasional glimpse of a limb or two. His nature is a complete mystery.
Duel / int_1c4e3202	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_1c4e3202	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_1c4e3202
Duel / int_22cf536c	type	Chekhov's Gun
Duel / int_22cf536c	comment	Chekhov's Gun: The radiator hose. Subverted with the flammable gas tank of the truck, which does not explode at any point.
Duel / int_22cf536c	featureApplicability	-0.3
Duel / int_22cf536c	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_22cf536c
Duel / int_23473ae7	type	Adaptation Expansion
Duel / int_23473ae7	comment	Adaptation Expansion: Since it was based on a short story, the movie naturally adds a lot of new scenes to expand the story to movie length. These include, among other things, the scene at the railroad crossing and the bus.
Duel / int_23473ae7	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_23473ae7	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_23473ae7
Duel / int_26eb6287	type	Funny Background Event
Duel / int_26eb6287	comment	Funny Background Event: Doubles as an Establishing Character Moment, at the start of the movie, you can hear a caller on the radio calling into the show to discuss his census form, his issue being that he is asked whether he is the head of the household, which he isn't, and feels ashamed of having to fill that in on the census. This is mirrored in Mann, who is somewhat of a henpecked husband.
Duel / int_26eb6287	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_26eb6287	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_26eb6287
Duel / int_281de59f	type	Extremely Short Timespan
Duel / int_281de59f	comment	Extremely Short Timespan: The film takes place over the course of just one day, from the morning to the sunset.
Duel / int_281de59f	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_281de59f	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_281de59f
Duel / int_2a090d00	type	Lampshade Hanging
Duel / int_2a090d00	comment	Lampshade Hanging: Upon finding a phone booth at an isolated gas station, David notes that it's a "weird place for a phone booth".
Duel / int_2a090d00	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_2a090d00	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_2a090d00
Duel / int_301476a3	type	Car Meets House
Duel / int_301476a3	comment	Car Meets House: When Mann stops on a tourist trap to try to make a call to the police, the truck prevents him from doing so by ramming the phone booth and then demolishes several snake cages trying to run over Mann.
Duel / int_301476a3	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_301476a3	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_301476a3
Duel / int_3114c1e5	type	Ramming Always Works
Duel / int_3114c1e5	comment	Ramming Always Works: As his 'weapon' is a massive big rig, the truck driver's main method of attack is ramming Mann's car with his truck. Mann jumps out of his car and lets in ram into the front of the truck. While it's not enough to meaningfully damage it, the fire and smoke that results blinds the driver and causes him to drive off the cliff to his demise.
Duel / int_3114c1e5	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_3114c1e5	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_3114c1e5
Duel / int_34dcfc96	type	Kick the Dog
Duel / int_34dcfc96	comment	Kick the Dog. Sally, a kindly older woman, runs a gas station and has a small roadside menagerie featuring her beloved pet snakes and other desert animals. To stop Mann from getting help, the trucker mows down the phone-booth at "Sally's Snake-O-Rama" gas-station. The trucker also runs over several of the cages, leading to Sally frantic over the welfare of her animals.
Duel / int_34dcfc96	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_34dcfc96	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_34dcfc96
Duel / int_38d02d44	type	Batman Gambit
Duel / int_38d02d44	comment	Batman Gambit: After the truck driver waves him in front of his truck, Mann's plan at the end is to get the truck on a steep grade where he could easily outrun him on upside. Unfortunately, the strain of it finally burst his radiator hose. He wins the race up the mountain - barely - but it badly damages his car. He knows the duel will soon be over, one way or another.
Duel / int_38d02d44	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_38d02d44	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_38d02d44
Duel / int_392372f9	type	Actor Allusion
Duel / int_392372f9	comment	Actor Allusion: Weaver repeats one of his lines from Touch of Evil, telling the truck driver in the cafÃ© that he has "another thing coming." Spielberg lobbied for Dennis Weaver to star in the movie because he admired Weaver's work in that film.
Duel / int_392372f9	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_392372f9	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_392372f9
Duel / int_3c26d279	type	Specs of Awesome
Duel / int_3c26d279	comment	Specs of Awesome: David, at the end.
Duel / int_3c26d279	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_3c26d279	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_3c26d279
Duel / int_3c3b5c27	type	Vehicular Assault
Duel / int_3c3b5c27	comment	Vehicular Assault: The truck is treated as the villain instead of its driver, with several shots devoted to making it seem alive.
Duel / int_3c3b5c27	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_3c3b5c27	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_3c3b5c27
Duel / int_3ec7c277	type	Every Car Is a Pinto
Duel / int_3ec7c277	comment	Every Car Is a Pinto: Brazenly inverted. A tanker truck (with "Flammable" prominently displayed on the side), after attempting to ram the protagonist off the road for the entire movie, is itself run off a cliff. The protagonist runs to the cliff, waiting for the inevitable explosion. And... nothing happens. Fade to black, roll credits - this despite the original story and the movie script actually featuring the explosion. Whereas David's ordinary car actually bursts into flames.
Duel / int_3ec7c277	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_3ec7c277	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_3ec7c277
Duel / int_40c57041	type	Manipulative Bastard
Duel / int_40c57041	comment	Manipulative Bastard: While a complete psychopath, the driver is shown to be very manipulative. Not only goading Mann into specific situations, but tricking a school bus driver into thinking Mann is the mad man.
Duel / int_40c57041	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_40c57041	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_40c57041
Duel / int_42215dce	type	Ambiguous Ending
Duel / int_42215dce	comment	Ambiguous Ending: Also a Bittersweet Ending. David wins the duel, but at the cost of his briefcase and his car, meaning that he is left by a cliff in the middle of nowhere with no visible means to return home.
Duel / int_42215dce	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_42215dce	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_42215dce
Duel / int_49f20c6a	type	Gory Discretion Shot
Duel / int_49f20c6a	comment	Gory Discretion Shot: The only sign that the truck driver is killed when his ride goes over the cliff is a brief shot of the cabin's interior, where a very dark red fluid is dripping off of the steering wheel. Even then, one can argue it's just oil.
Duel / int_49f20c6a	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_49f20c6a	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_49f20c6a
Duel / int_50b05d30	type	Disproportionate Retribution
Duel / int_50b05d30	comment	Disproportionate Retribution: Mann does nothing to the truck driver but pass in front of him. Apparently, that's enough for the truck driver to terrorize him and then try to murder him.
Duel / int_50b05d30	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_50b05d30	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_50b05d30
Duel / int_53407671	type	Action Survivor
Duel / int_53407671	comment	Action Survivor: At no time does Mann decide to be a hero. He just wants to survive.
Duel / int_53407671	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_53407671	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_53407671
Duel / int_55c480b5	type	Mighty Roar
Duel / int_55c480b5	comment	Mighty Roar: Spielberg added one (taken from an old dinosaur flick) as the truck falls down the cliff. (it appears in Jaws as the shark's carcass sinks into the ocean). The Dolby soundtrack on the DVD (the default setting) lacks this.
Duel / int_55c480b5	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_55c480b5	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_55c480b5
Duel / int_564d4e71	type	Tired of Running
Duel / int_564d4e71	comment	Tired of Running: At the end, with a badly damaged car, Mann is forced into facing the truck and completing the duel.
Duel / int_564d4e71	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_564d4e71	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_564d4e71
Duel / int_5bdcc85a	type	Disney Villain Death
Duel / int_5bdcc85a	comment	Disney Villain Death: The truck and its driver end up driving over a ledge after being blinded when they ram into David's car and it catches fire.
Duel / int_5bdcc85a	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_5bdcc85a	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_5bdcc85a
Duel / int_63389b0b	type	Kids Are Cruel
Duel / int_63389b0b	comment	Kids Are Cruel: Instead of watching hopefully as Mann tries to push the bus to save them, they are making faces at him and verbally mocking him.
Duel / int_63389b0b	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_63389b0b	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_63389b0b
Duel / int_649f5bec	type	Creepy Souvenir
Duel / int_649f5bec	comment	Creepy Souvenir: Implied. The multiple license plates from different states mounted on the truck's front and back. Yeah, they could just be proof that the driver regularly crosses state lines, but given how he behaves, and the fact there are notches carved in the headlights...
Duel / int_649f5bec	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_649f5bec	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_649f5bec
Duel / int_659ef759	type	Implacable Man
Duel / int_659ef759	comment	Implacable Man: The truck driver will not let Mann get away. He repeatedly stops and waits to ambush him if he gets ahead, and even circles back to find Mann on several occasions.
Duel / int_659ef759	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_659ef759	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_659ef759
Duel / int_687c78ff	type	Railroad Tracks of Doom
Duel / int_687c78ff	comment	Railroad Tracks of Doom: Mann is nearly pushed into a moving train at a grade crossing by the truck, as it continues to toy with him.
Duel / int_687c78ff	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_687c78ff	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_687c78ff
Duel / int_6bda9a30	type	Meaningful Name
Duel / int_6bda9a30	comment	Meaningful Name: Not only is it Mann vs. Machine, it's also David vs. Goliath. In the short story, the trucker's name is given as "Keller." I.e., Man vs. Killer. The DVD commentary by the writer has him, slightly embarrassed, admit he called the hero "Mann" in order to make him represent all mankind.
Duel / int_6bda9a30	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_6bda9a30	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_6bda9a30
Duel / int_72852a93	type	Henpecked Husband
Duel / int_72852a93	comment	Henpecked Husband: Mann, and also the man calling into the show on the radio at the beginning of the movie.
Duel / int_72852a93	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_72852a93	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_72852a93
Duel / int_7301ae04	type	Serial Killer
Duel / int_7301ae04	comment	Serial Killer: A careful examination of the truck suggests that the driver has done this before, several times.
Duel / int_7301ae04	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_7301ae04	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_7301ae04
Duel / int_786bf97f	type	Real Life Writes the Plot
Duel / int_786bf97f	comment	Real Life Writes the Plot: Writer Richard Matheson based the original story on an incident where a truck driver started tailgating him on his way home from a golfing match. (Interestingly, it happened on the day JFK was assassinated.)
Duel / int_786bf97f	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_786bf97f	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_786bf97f
Duel / int_7abba202	type	The Faceless
Duel / int_7abba202	comment	The Faceless: The driver of the truck is never seen in full. The audience only ever sees his arm 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.
Duel / int_7abba202	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_7abba202	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_7abba202
Duel / int_7febc23b	type	Establishing Character Moment
Duel / int_7febc23b	comment	Establishing Character Moment: Mann's phone call to his wife, mirroring the henpecked husband from the radio show.
Duel / int_7febc23b	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_7febc23b	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_7febc23b
Duel / int_808b6d16	type	Sdrawkcab Name
Duel / int_808b6d16	comment	Sdrawkcab Name: The exterminator car's company is "Greblieps" - Speilberg.
Duel / int_808b6d16	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_808b6d16	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_808b6d16
Duel / int_87bb6874	type	Villain with Good Publicity
Duel / int_87bb6874	comment	Villain with Good Publicity: When David tries to use his vehicle to help push a school bus, his puny Alleged Car is an ineffective disappointment. The truck driver shows up and does a much better job, making David look bad, making himself look good and frustrating the shit out of David even more.
Duel / int_87bb6874	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_87bb6874	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_87bb6874
Duel / int_8a295a46	type	Cool Car
Duel / int_8a295a46	comment	Cool Car: For a dirty, grungy, killing machine, the truck is surprisingly impressive.
Duel / int_8a295a46	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_8a295a46	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_8a295a46
Duel / int_95b7c400	type	Faux Affably Evil
Duel / int_95b7c400	comment	Faux Affably Evil: The truck driver helps nudge a stalled school bus back onto the road, presumably because Mann had just failed to and because doing so makes Mann look like a lunatic ranting about truck drivers out to kill him. He's less polite to the owner of Snakearama, whose cages he barrels through.
Duel / int_95b7c400	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_95b7c400	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_95b7c400
Duel / int_9775a897	type	Just Toying with Them
Duel / int_9775a897	comment	Just Toying with Them: There are many moments when the truck driver could have easily killed Mann several times before the climax should he have wanted to, like the scene along the train tracks. But nope, he just wanted to revel in Mann's fear and helplessness a little bit more.
Duel / int_9775a897	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_9775a897	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_9775a897
Duel / int_9d12bbc1	type	Foreshadowing
Duel / int_9d12bbc1	comment	Foreshadowing: The whole plot of the movie is foreshadowed with this complaint from Mrs. Mann: "You said there would be no problem getting home on time!" The truck has multiple license plates mounted on it, clearly from different states. At first glance, a viewer would think this is just a marker that the driver regularly crosses state lines. They're a subtle clue that he's a Serial Killer.
Duel / int_9d12bbc1	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_9d12bbc1	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_9d12bbc1
Duel / int_9f00986d	type	Gut Punch
Duel / int_9f00986d	comment	Gut Punch: The trucker spends the first part of the movie being an obnoxious nuisance, but not exactly threatening. It is when the trucker tricks Mann into a head-on collision (that he barely avoids) with another car that the trucker's insanity becomes evident.
Duel / int_9f00986d	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_9f00986d	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_9f00986d
Duel / int_a6bd04e0	type	Rule of Scary
Duel / int_a6bd04e0	comment	Rule of Scary: The truck has a large steel girder affixed to the front bumper, perhaps replacing it. In addition to adding force to a ramming attack, it makes the truck look even more intimidating than it already does. It probably wouldn't be allowed in real life.
Duel / int_a6bd04e0	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_a6bd04e0	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_a6bd04e0
Duel / int_ad1c3459	type	Big Badass Rig
Duel / int_ad1c3459	comment	Big Badass Rig: Spielberg "cast" the nastiest, grungiest looking semi he could find (a 1955 Peterbilt) on a TV-movie budget. Then he had it made to look even dirtier and oilier.
Duel / int_ad1c3459	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_ad1c3459	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_ad1c3459
Duel / int_ad1db87c	type	Oh, Crap!
Duel / int_ad1db87c	comment	Oh, Crap!: Mann's reaction when he sees the truck stopped at Chuck's Cafe. And, later, Mann's reaction when he sees the truck in the tunnel. Also when his car begins breaking down.
Duel / int_ad1db87c	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_ad1db87c	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_ad1db87c
Duel / int_ad7a381d	type	P.O.V. Cam
Duel / int_ad7a381d	comment	P.O.V. Cam: The opening credits are shown from the perspective of Mann's car as he drives out of the city.
Duel / int_ad7a381d	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_ad7a381d	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_ad7a381d
Duel / int_af3be43f	type	Mundane Horror
Duel / int_af3be43f	comment	Mundane Horror: There's nothing overtly supernatural about the truck or its driver. As far as the audience or the protagonist know, he's just some guy in a rusty big rig who likes to pick another driver at random and run them off the road, for who knows what reason.
Duel / int_af3be43f	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_af3be43f	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_af3be43f
Duel / int_b0a529cb	type	Extreme Doormat
Duel / int_b0a529cb	comment	Extreme Doormat: Mann is a self-admitted Henpecked Husband, he didn't defend his wife after she was inappropriately groped at a party, and his only strategy at first for dealing with the violent truck driver is to try and avoid him as much as he can.
Duel / int_b0a529cb	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_b0a529cb	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_b0a529cb
Duel / int_b85c06f2	type	Glowing Eyes of Doom
Duel / int_b85c06f2	comment	Glowing Eyes of Doom: The truck's headlights in the tunnel.
Duel / int_b85c06f2	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_b85c06f2	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_b85c06f2
Duel / int_b8dbe475	type	Blood from the Mouth
Duel / int_b8dbe475	comment	Blood from the Mouth: What happens to Mann when he hits his head after taking a sudden turn.
Duel / int_b8dbe475	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_b8dbe475	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_b8dbe475
Duel / int_be1e5f7e	type	Surprise Vehicle
Duel / int_be1e5f7e	comment	Surprise Vehicle: At one point the truck suddenly appears behind Mann, despite the fact that he was keeping an eye out for it.
Duel / int_be1e5f7e	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_be1e5f7e	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_be1e5f7e
Duel / int_c2d978fe	type	Car Fu
Duel / int_c2d978fe	comment	Car Fu: The whole movie in a nutshell. The trucker has a very big preference for trying to ram things.
Duel / int_c2d978fe	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_c2d978fe	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_c2d978fe
Duel / int_c3c18143	type	Hope Spot
Duel / int_c3c18143	comment	Hope Spot: When David sees what he thinks is a police car... then subverted when it turns out to just be a pest exterminator's car.
Duel / int_c3c18143	featureApplicability	-0.3
Duel / int_c3c18143	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_c3c18143
Duel / int_c85cb635	type	WhyDontYaJustShootHim
Duel / int_c85cb635	comment	Why Don't Ya Just Shoot Him?: There are several times the truck driver could kill Mann easily (especially when he is on foot), but swerves clear in order to give him a fair chance and/or to toy some more with him. The one time the truck driver nearly kills him outside his car is when he tries to call the police at the gas station.
Duel / int_c85cb635	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_c85cb635	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_c85cb635
Duel / int_ca87e3ec	type	No Name Given
Duel / int_ca87e3ec	comment	No Name Given: The truck driver is named "Keller" in the story but is nameless in the film.
Duel / int_ca87e3ec	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_ca87e3ec	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_ca87e3ec
Duel / int_cb70651c	type	Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane
Duel / int_cb70651c	comment	Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: Downplayed; the truck is clearly driven by someone and there are few indications offered that anything explicitly supernatural is happening. However, the driver's presence is heavily downplayed and the truck itself is typically framed as the antagonist in and of itself, thus making it easy to read the film as if the truck itself were some kind of supernaturally possessed, sentient and vicious beast in and of itself, with the actual driver just an appendage to the truck's malevolence.
Duel / int_cb70651c	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_cb70651c	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_cb70651c
Duel / int_cdfe12c3	type	Nothing Is Scarier
Duel / int_cdfe12c3	comment	Nothing Is Scarier: The truck driver's status as being almost completely unseen definitely plays on this trope and contributes to the terrifying confusion as to exactly what the hell is with that truck.
Duel / int_cdfe12c3	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_cdfe12c3	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_cdfe12c3
Duel / int_cf92fea8	type	Cassandra Truth
Duel / int_cf92fea8	comment	Cassandra Truth: Nobody believes Mann when he claims a truck driver is trying to kill him.
Duel / int_cf92fea8	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_cf92fea8	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_cf92fea8
Duel / int_d2566b32	type	Hunting the Most Dangerous Game
Duel / int_d2566b32	comment	Hunting the Most Dangerous Game: The truck driver seems to be deliberately hunting other drivers down and killing them, if one takes the "trophies" into account.
Duel / int_d2566b32	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_d2566b32	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_d2566b32
Duel / int_d7b64870	type	Automobiles Are Alien
Duel / int_d7b64870	comment	Automobiles Are Alien: Although it clearly has a driver, the truck is made out to be a living entity, inscrutable and irrational, out to specifically kill Mann. Its unkempt appearance makes it all the scarier.
Duel / int_d7b64870	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_d7b64870	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_d7b64870
Duel / int_dfe687c9	type	Alone with the Psycho
Duel / int_dfe687c9	comment	Alone with the Psycho: While Mann runs into other people, most of his conflict with the truck driver is him largely alone in the wilderness with a psychopath out to torture and kill him.
Duel / int_dfe687c9	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_dfe687c9	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_dfe687c9
Duel / int_e24d2d5c	type	Reptiles Are Abhorrent
Duel / int_e24d2d5c	comment	Reptiles Are Abhorrent: As if Mann wasn't having a bad enough day already, at one point he has to avoid snakes and spiders released from their cages by the truck as it tries to run him over. Subverted, as their owner is a kindly woman who clearly cares about them and is distraught by them being put in danger.
Duel / int_e24d2d5c	featureApplicability	-0.3
Duel / int_e24d2d5c	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_e24d2d5c
Duel / int_e5b75009	type	"Psycho" Strings
Duel / int_e5b75009	comment	"Psycho" Strings: Heard when the truck begins to back up towards Mann and the elderly couple, causing the elderly couple to flee the scene.
Duel / int_e5b75009	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_e5b75009	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_e5b75009
Duel / int_e7e558	type	The Oner
Duel / int_e7e558	comment	The Oner: The scene from when Mann first goes into Chuck's Cafe to when he sees the truck has no cuts.
Duel / int_e7e558	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_e7e558	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_e7e558
Duel / int_ea8ba51d	type	No Full Name Given
Duel / int_ea8ba51d	comment	No Full Name Given: In the original story, Mann has no first name, while his wife has one. In the film, this is inverted.
Duel / int_ea8ba51d	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_ea8ba51d	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_ea8ba51d
Duel / int_f237981e	type	The Alleged Car
Duel / int_f237981e	comment	The Alleged Car: Mann's car qualifies even before getting battered by the truck. Mann mentions early on that he needs to go get the engine fixed. This becomes a plot point when the engine overheats.
Duel / int_f237981e	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_f237981e	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_f237981e
Duel / int_f85354eb	type	Attempted Rape
Duel / int_f85354eb	comment	Attempted Rape: What Mann's wife says almost happened to her at the party the night before.
Duel / int_f85354eb	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_f85354eb	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_f85354eb
Duel / int_f96f188c	type	Drives Like Crazy
Duel / int_f96f188c	comment	Drives Like Crazy: Three guesses who this tropes applies to.
Duel / int_f96f188c	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_f96f188c	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_f96f188c
Duel / int_ff7f34c5	type	Pet the Dog
Duel / int_ff7f34c5	comment	Pet the Dog: Subverted. The truck driver gets a few moments of these to show that he is not above helping out a school bus full of kids in need or giving a friendly honk to passing trains. This is part of a simple but extremely effective scheme by the truck driver, to isolate Mann from any possible source of help. It works, but Mann wins the duel by sacrificing his car.
Duel / int_ff7f34c5	featureApplicability	-0.3
Duel / int_ff7f34c5	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_ff7f34c5
Duel / int_name	type	ItemName
Duel / int_name	comment
Duel / int_name	featureApplicability	1.0
Duel / int_name	featureConfidence	1.0
Duel	hasFeature	Duel / int_name
Duel / int_name	itemName	Duel

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

Duel	hasFeature	Attack of the Killer Whatever / int_b369c772
Duel	hasFeature	Automobiles Are Alien / int_b369c772
Duel	hasFeature	Big Badass Rig / int_b369c772
Duel	hasFeature	Car Fu / int_b369c772
Duel	hasFeature	Creepy Souvenir / int_b369c772
Duel	hasFeature	Every Car Is a Pinto / int_b369c772
Duel	hasFeature	Haunted Technology / int_b369c772
Duel	hasFeature	Just Toying with Them / int_b369c772
Duel	hasFeature	My Car Hates Me / int_b369c772
Duel	hasFeature	No Full Name Given / int_b369c772
100 Scariest Movie Moments	seeAlso	Duel
Duel	hasFeature	One-Take Wonder / int_b369c772
Duel	hasFeature	Re-Cut / int_b369c772
Duel	hasFeature	Sdrawkcab Name / int_b369c772
Duel	hasFeature	Sinister Car / int_b369c772
Duel	hasFeature	Sinister Southwest / int_b369c772
Duel	hasFeature	Stalker without a Crush / int_b369c772
Duel	hasFeature	Thriller / int_b369c772
Duel	hasFeature	Villain with Good Publicity / int_b369c772

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