Image: tmdb
About This Quiz
This 1971 movie advertised as "Terror in your rear view mirror!" featured a riveting cat-and-mouse chase on the highway. Now, revisit this early Spielberg adventure with our quiz!
In what city does the action start?
Boston
Los Angeles
The main character leaves Los Angeles and heads out into the desert on a business trip. Much of the film's action was shot outside the town of Acton, California.
Phoenix
Tucson
Who played David Mann, the hapless driver?
Alan Alda
Bruce Dern
Richard Gere
Dennis Weaver
The name "Mann" equates him with an "Everyman." In other words, he's the audience's stand-in in a classic man-versus-monster movie -- even though the "monster" isn't a force of nature.
What kind of car does Mann drive?
a Datsun compact
a Chevrolet wagon
a Plymouth Valiant
The car is a simple sedan, the kind that many middle-class guys might have driven in the early 1970s. Spielberg chose a red car so it would stand out in the desert landscape.
a Stingray
Advertisement
A caller to KBMJ claims to play what in place of a musical instrument?
coconuts
tree trunks
meat
Mann listens to the radio as long as the L.A. station will come in. One caller is complaining about not being able to claim "head of household" status on his census form because his wife works. The next caller, a butcher, wants to be on a variety show based on his ability to "play" meat. Sirius XM couldn't come fast enough for drivers in the 70s!
silverware and pots
What happens in Mann's first interaction with the tanker truck?
he passes it on the left
Evidently, the only thing that Mann does to attract the driver's ire is to pass when the truck is going too slowly for his taste. This starts the cat-and-mouse game that will last the entire movie.
he drives too slowly, forcing the truck to pass
he accidentally cuts the driver off
he throws a Coke can out the window, into the truck's path
What is painted on the rear of the truck?
an ad recruiting drivers
the word "flammable"
Just to make things really fun, the tanker is carrying something flammable. Oddly, it doesn't explode in the end, when going over the cliff (possibly because of real-life budget issues).
a naked-woman silhouette
a smiley face
Advertisement
What color eyes does the Driver have?
blue
brown
green
we never see his eyes
Spielberg made sure the audience never saw the driver. He wanted the truck to be the real monster in the movie, comparing "Duel" to Japanese films like "Godzilla."
At the service station, what does the attendant recommend Mann replace?
the air filter
a radiator hose
Mann lets the attendant look under the hood, but dismisses his recommendation that the radiator hose be replaced. Will that decision come back to haunt him? Do you even have to ask?
the spark plugs
the timing chain
What field does Mann apparently work in?
dentistry
psychiatry
sales
We don't learn much about Mann's career, but he does worry his boss is going to take away a certain "account," which is sales jargon. He also carries a briefcase, the classic salesman's accessory. (It will come in handy later).
teaching
Advertisement
Mann calls home to apologize to his wife. For what is he apologizing?
a fight over money
not saying goodbye that morning
not confronting a man who got fresh with her at a party
Mrs. Mann says that "Steve Henderson ... practically tried to rape me" in front of the party guests. She thought that Dave should have "said something," even if he didn't challenge Henderson to a fight.
refusing to buy a dog
What happens when the driver encourages Mann to pass?
Mann passes with ease
Mann nearly drives into an oncoming car
This happens early enough in the film that Mann still thinks the driver was just a little annoyed at him for passing him earlier. But when the driver directs him right into a near-head-on collision, Mann begins to realize that things are serious.
Mann drives into a police speed trap
the truck speeds up and won't let him back in
What is the name of the cafe where Mann stops (well, crashes to a stop)?
the Brown Cow
Chuck's
Mann crashes into a fence outside Chuck's after a harrowing pursuit by the truck. He stays to use the restroom and have some lunch.
Pickford's
the Sportsman
Advertisement
Which of these does Mann NOT request of the waitress?
apple pie
Mann wants a simple lunch -- the sandwich -- plus more water and an aspirin. (Try asking a waiter or waitress for aspirin nowadays: You'd get a blank look and a directions to the nearest drugstore.)
aspirin
a cheese sandwich
water
What does Mann do when he sees the truck parked outside Chuck's cafe?
calls the police
leaves immediately
demands to know who owns it
nothing right away
When he sees the truck, he is alarmed, but sits down again to think about things. A little later, he confronts various men he thinks might be the driver -- none of whom are.
Why doesn't Mann call the police from Chuck's?
he doesn't want to look weak
it will make him late for his appointment
Mann can't prove his story of being terrorized by the Driver, and the people at Chuck's have no reason to take his side. Plus, it really wouldn't help that Mann can't even identify the Driver if the police arrive promptly.
he doesn't want to antagonize the Driver
he thinks the Driver will deny everything and no one will back him up
Advertisement
What kind of boots does the Driver wear?
black engineer's boots
reddish-brown cowboy boots
The kind of boots the Driver wears are common enough that Mann sees more than one pair at Chuck's Cafe. This gives him several suspects to narrow down as he's trying to find and reason with the Driver.
bright red boots with spurs
hiking boots
When the truck pulls out of Chuck's lot, what does Mann do?
drives off in the opposite direction
drives off in the same direction
chases it on foot
Really, Mann? What do you think that's going to accomplish?
sighs with relief
What kind of vehicle is stalled on the side of the road?
a florist's van
a hearse
a horse trailer
a school bus
The driver flags Mann down, wanting a push. Since it's implausible for one passenger car to push a schoolbus full of kids all the way to the nearest town, it seems that the driver was attempting a "bump start." That's a trick with a manual-transmission vehicle, where if you get it rolling, working the power train can cause the engine to turn over.
Advertisement
What happens to Mann when he attempts to push the schoolbus?
it starts up
his car overheats
his front fender gets stuck under the bus' rear fender
Mann gives the push a valiant try (sorry!), but it's no good. He only succeeds in getting his front fender wedged under the bus -- while the kids mock him through the back window.
his wheels get stuck in loose sand
What is Mann's license number?
2Y5 KAZ
141 PCE
We see Mann's license plate and those of the truck several times. The truck has six plates in front -- getting licensed in multiple US states is a way of paying tax.
555 BAZ
SPL BRG
Which is NOT a state license plate on the truck?
Arizona
New Mexico
West Virginia
The truck and Driver seem to operate in the Western states. Spielberg mentioned that the multiple plates the truck bears imply that the driver has been menacing motorists all over the West.
Wyoming
Advertisement
What is unusual about the second gas station at which Mann stops?
it only sells diesel
it has a Japanese restaurant attached
it appears open, but no one is there
the owner displays snakes
Suzy's Snakerama not only has glass cages of snakes, but tarantulas and a coyote on a chain. It wasn't uncommon, in the mid-20th century, to run across gas-station-plus-roadside-attractions in the rural West.
When Mann attempts to call the police from the phone booth, what does the Driver do?
drives away quickly
aims his truck at the booth
The truck has been waiting for Mann just down the road from Suzy's Snakerama. When the Driver sees Mann making a phone call, he speeds to the booth, flattening it seconds after Mann has jumped clear.
stares menacingly from the window
knocks over the nearest telephone pole
What does Mann do after the Snakerama incident?
drives back to L.A.
helps Suzy clean up the wreckage
pulls over for an hour
The Driver has gone on ahead. Mann thinks that if he lets the tanker truck get an hour's worth of road ahead of him, the sorry incident will be over. Of course, that's not the case.
goes looking for another pay phone
Advertisement
Who does Mann flag down on the road?
an elderly couple
Mann flags down a lovely vintage 50s car and asks the couple inside to call the police for him when they reach the nearest town. The wife gets nervous, saying they don't want any trouble -- and when the truck starts to back rapidly toward them, they flee.
newlyweds
migrant farmers
a motorcycle gang
What does the police car on the roadside turn out to be?
a black-and-white cow
an abandoned car
a pest-control car
Mann is relieved to see a black-and-white car on the roadside, thinking it is a police officer manning a speed trap. Instead, it's a two-toned exterminator's car, with something red -- maybe a fire ant? -- on the roof, that looks like a siren.
a lifelike statue
What goes wrong as Mann's car ascends the grade?
the car starts running out of gas
he runs over barbed wire
the radiator hose blows
The Valiant starts spewing smoke from the tailpipe, and the needle on the temperature gauge rises to the maximum. This is bad news for Mann, who was sure he could outrun the Driver on an uphill grade.
the timing-belt breaks
Advertisement
What item comes off the Valiant in the chase on the grade?
the trunk lid
the rear bumper
a hubcap
In the climactic chase, the Valiant loses a hubcap. Then, at the summit, Mann puts his overheating car in neutral and coasts it down the other side of the grade, letting the engine cool.
the radio antenna
In the climax, what does Mann wedge against the gas pedal?
an anti-theft Club
his briefcase
Mann is through running -- he's going to crash the driverless Valiant into the truck. To do this, he uses his briefcase to hold the gas pedal down, and stands up half-in, half-out of the doorway as he guides the car straight toward the truck, then jumps clear. Macho!
a stick
the tire iron
What does Mann do as the credits roll?
drinks a beer
goes to call the police
weeps
sits on the cliffside and tosses pebbles over
A lot of 1960s and 1970s movies didn't believe in epilogues. Nowadays, the screenwriter probably would have shown us Mann back in his suburban life, a new, tougher man. But back in the day, the attitude was, "The bad guy's dead; roll credits!"
Advertisement
Why, does it turn out, was the Driver fatally harassing Mann?
he thought Mann was his wife's lover
he'd just escaped from a mental asylum
he thought Mann was carrying lots of cash
we never learn this
We never learn the Driver's name, see his face, or learn his motivations. This was in keeping with Spielberg making the Truck like the shark in "Jaws" -- an unknowable, brutal force.
The screenplay for "Duel" came from what source?
a memoir written by a trucker
a nightmare that Steven Spielberg had
a "Twilight Zone" episode by Rod Serling
a short story by Richard Matheson
Matheson was a very prolific novelist/screenwriter/short-story writer. He wrote episodes for "The Twilight Zone," but the "Duel" story, inspired by a real tailgating incident, wasn't one of them.
Bits of "Duel" could be seen as stock footage in what TV show?
BJ and the Bear
The Incredible Hulk
Because Universal owned "Duel," it was legally allowed to provide the footage to flesh out a truck-driver storyline in "The Incredible Hulk." Spielberg was reportedly not happy about his movie being parted out in that fashion.
Knight Rider
T.J. Hooker
Advertisement
Which of these Spielberg movies preceded "Duel"?
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
1941
The Sugarland Express
none of them
"Duel" was Spielberg's first feature film. The first cut was so short that Spielberg had to go back and shoot extra scenes to make the movie an appropriate length for theatrical release.
Which Quentin Tarantino movie has strong parallels with "Duel"?
Death Proof
In "Death Proof," a psychotic movie stuntman stalks the highways in a "death-proof" car. He targets the wrong group of women, though, setting off a deadly chase through rural Southern California much like the one in "Duel."
Pulp Fiction
Reservoir Dogs
The Hateful Eight
You Got:
/35
tmdb