Continuity mistake: On the truck cab's rear window, there is some sort of air conditioning unit installed. In some shots, such as the gas station scene where David Mann is on the telephone, or the railroad crossing scene, the air conditioning unit has a support structure to hold it in place. In the rest of the film however, there is not any support structure to be seen.
Duel (1971)
Ending / spoiler
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Dennis Weaver, Eddie Firestone, Jacqueline Scott, Lou Frizzell
David's tiny car overheats as he desperately speeds away from the truck. The mad truck driver is now more intent than ever on killing him. David realizes that he can't outrun the powerful vehicle and prepares for a last stand. He spins around to face the truck, and speeds toward it as fast as his vehicle will go. David opens the door and leans out of it as the two vehicles speed toward each other. At the last moment, David leaps out of the car and lands on the road, but his car doesn't stop. Its momentum lets it continue moving, and David's car slams at high speed into the front of the truck, and explodes. The car's flaming carcass blocks the trucker's view of the road, and David watches from the sidelines as the truck careens over a cliff. Truck, car, and trucker smash into the unforgiving rocks below, and the truck is dashed to pieces along with its driver. Exhausted, David steps toward the cliff, and looks down upon the charred remains of the truck. The scattered bits of the truck settle into the dust, and all is quiet. David collapses, and continues to stare at the wreckage as the credits roll.
Jack
More mistakes in Duel
David Mann: I'd like to report a truck driver who's been endangering my life.
Trivia: This film garnered so much critical praise that it was theatrically released in quite a few countries, though it was originally a made-for-TV-movie for NBC in 1972.
Question: Why did the truck driver want to kill David Mann?
Answer: According to director Steven Spielberg, the trucker was a serial killer, and each of the license plates were trophies from previous victims.
Answer: David pulled ahead of the truck not once but twice. He got to the gas station first, and got served before the trucker. For any normal person this would not be cause to try to murder someone, however the truck driver is an unhinged psychopath who doesn't need much reason to go into an obsessive rage. Add to that the fact that David is driving a much smaller car, and the fact that they're out in the middle of nowhere with nary a cop around, and the truck driver probably saw David as easy prey.
Answer: "It was very common to see semi trucks with a half dozen or so license plates on them, each from a different state." And that's how the psycho trucker got away with it. He could have those 'trophy' plates on the front of the truck in plain sight, and to anyone who saw it, the truck would look like just another big rig with multiple license plates. Nothing out of the ordinary or suspicious about it.
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Answer: It's never explained why but, judging from the numerous license plates from other vehicles attached to his truck, the truck driver is a serial killer and was just targeting people at random and decided to make David his next target.
Trucks used to have to be registered in multiple states if they were going to operate in them. It was very common to see semi trucks with a half dozen or so license plates on them, each from a different state.