Duel (Steven Spielberg, 1971)

8.5/10
Steven Spielberg's first film, a made-for-TV affair involving a man (David Weaver) on the open road being harassed by a monstrous, intimidating gas truck. Weaver plays David Mann, a white-collar everyman (in case the last name didn't drive it home already) driving a red Plymouth Valiant, who passes the truck...and then spends the rest of the afternoon locked in a duel to the death with it. We never know the trucker's identity, and why he's so hellbent on tormenting (indeed, killing) Mann, which only adds to the fear and suspense. There are a couple of great set pieces that take place off the road, including a stop in at a diner where the trucker is assumed to be among the patrons (and where Mann really starts to lose his marbles), a confrontation involving a stalled school bus full of children, and an attempt to call the police from a roadside gas station that ends in chaos. A certain suspension of belief is required to immerse one's self in the duel (the script attempts to explain, via Mann's inner monologue, that Mann's car could "never" outrun the truck as it appears to be souped-up in some manner...but considering the sheer size of the truck this is clearly stretching it).
A lot of the elements from this movie made its way into Jaws, so it was cool to see Spielberg working them out here, on the open road no less. The ending is also incredible and, of course, deliciously CGI-free. I shudder to think how it would be handled nowadays.