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Movie Information

Overall Rank: 1116

Average Rating: 2.9/4

# of Ratings: 151

Theatrical Release Date: 11/13/1971

Language: English

Genre: Action, Horror

MPAA Rating: PG

Director: Steven Spielberg

Actors: Dennis Weaver, Eddie Firestone, Gene Dynarski, Tim Herbert, Charles Seel, Shirley O'Hara

Plot: A man plays a deadly game of cat and mouse with a driver of an 18-wheeler.

Yojimbo - wrote on 06/25/2012

Like The Birds before it, this film is more about the director's skill at cultivating a sense of menace and tension rather than any form of plot development. In that spirit, a travelling salesman inadvertantly pisses off the driver of a huge semi truck, who then pursues him in a gripping game of cat and mouse down the highway. It may not sound like much, but Spielberg's abilities as a storyteller are obvious even at this early stage in his career. Weaver also deserves a nod as he has to carry the movie pretty much by himself being the only human combatant to be seen!

Unknown - wrote on 12/08/2011

A straight-up 90 min. car battle over long stretches of highway. On that level, this movie completely succeeds. The excellent plot and pacing make for an perfect escalation of tension. A small, furious motorists thriller. Surprisingly well made for being originally conceived as a television film. Huge promising start for legendary director Spielberg.

mitchellyoung - wrote on 11/03/2011

You can see flashes of Spielberg's brilliance and knack for visual storytelling in his first feature effort. Made on a very low budget and with limited resources, the film does a lot with very little - using its grittiness and economy of characters to create a cat-and-mouse game that is tense from start to finish.

mdtinney
Movie God

A classic Made For Tv movie that stands out!

mdtinney - wrote on 09/22/2009

This film is a highly original piece of work. If it was made today it would not work as well, but back in the early seventies nobody had heard of road rage. It is a simple film that contains sparse dialogue. The most fascinating, but frustrating, thing about the film is the truck driver's anonymity. I have seen it countless times and played it back in slow motion freeze-frame and all we get to see besides his cowboy boots is a light-coloured shirt and a pixie-like silhouette at the beginning. When David Mann passes, sometimes it seems as though the truck is driving itself. Actually, the stuntman Carey Loftin who drove the truck almost died at the end - just escaping as the truck went over the cliff. Notice the door wide open. But the film is very cleverly shot. There are views from …

The M.O.W.
Producer

Bad -- even for a Made-for-TV movie

The M.O.W. - wrote on 08/01/2008

On a deserted stretch of desert highway, "David Mann" (Dennis Weaver) is on his way to an important meeting. He eventually catches up with a slow-moving diesel truck, which he decides to pass by. This causes the truck driver to chase "Mann" down and try to kill him.

This is a very poor attempt at directing a movie that first appeared on television, then, with added footage, in theaters, by Steven Speilberg.

There is very little suspense, not to mention dialog in this movie. We do see some interaction with characters who are briefly on screen, but none advance the storyline at all.

We mostly get to watch Weaver's character as he drives down the highway watching out for the truck that is chasing him down. Even the shots of the car and truck from the outside of the vehicles are …