To even the most uninvolved moviegoers, the name Steven Spielberg is not something easily forgotten. Crowned as the inventor of summer blockbusters with films like Jaws (1975), many consider this guy one of the greats with hit after hit after hit coming out early on in his career. Although now he takes up more of a producer credit in most productions, he occasionally still lends his directing abilities to projects he wants to helm. Before he was really on the map though, he did direct some lesser known features and of them was this made for TV movie. Believe it or not though the studio threw extra money at Spielberg just to have more added to the story. As a result, this bare bones budget film still pulls some pretty hard punches at the viewer with an interesting setup.
The film, directed by Spielberg and written by Richard Matheson is about a regular guy by the name of David Mann (Dennis Weaver) who’s taking a business trip out west. While out on the road passing by numerous vehicles, he ends up behind a fuel truck. A very well worn, grungy, smoke billowing fuel truck. Ok, not much to really consider here. As he begins to pass, he receives an annoyed response. Thinking nothing much of the exchange, little does David Mann know that the driver behind the truck has just had one too many drivers go by. And what Mann thinks of as just another one-off occurrence, will end up being an encounter he won’t so easily avoid. Considering the time this movie was released, it still can strike an impression with viewers today. Any reasonable person understands that people act differently on the road in their own vehicles.
Sometimes though, it’s never known what the other person not in the same car or truck is thinking. Some individuals just snap and go off the deep end. This is essentially the entire conflict of the film but what makes this thriller significant is just how realistic this situation could be. To a person in Mann’s position, it’s not only scary but could be completely horrific. In some ways the film almost feels like a horror film only because the driver of the truck is barely visible. If those specific shots were not shown, it would almost feel like the truck itself was alive and yet it still comes across that way of having a personality of its own. This is partly why the tension created in the movie is fairly effective. The other part is the psychological aspect. Sometimes audiences will here Weaver playing the inner voice of Mann, thinking of what to do next.
It’s because of this and the driver being so elusive that can make a viewer bite their nails like crazy. The parts viewers may not totally get behind is the lack of main characters. There are other supporting characters that show up, but none are important enough for the story to hang on to. Not to mention, the personality of David Mann is not the most charming. Sure, people could sympathize with the character and his problem, but as for the character in general not so much. David Mann comes across very much like a book worm or someone who doesn’t have much of a backbone. On top of that are some choices made, by either Mann or the antagonistic truck driver. Of course, without these decisions maybe there’d be no movie? But some of what the characters do is just illogical when it comes to safety and consequences of the actions.
The cinematography was a great component to the viewing experience. Shot by Jack A. Marta as the director of photography, there a number of shots emphasizing the dangerous speeds that are reached between the two dueling vehicles. Marta also does an excellent job concealing the truck driver as well as highlighting the menacing front of the truck itself. Marta would also shoot for the original Walking Tall (1973). Finally, the score by Billy Goldenberg was an interesting listening experience. Known for his music on the Columbo series, Goldenberg composed music that would rightfully get an album release much later after the film’s release. The score is a mix of mostly strings and harps, with the occasional piano going in and out. While there’s no real main theme, the score makes sure the viewer hears the uncertainty and erratic nature of the plot.
For a TV turned theatrical production, this simple almost no cast film is still able to create a high strung thriller based on an identifiable matter most people could bump into. While the main character isn’t the most affable and some really nonsense choices are made, the music, camerawork and acting all make this a story no one would want to deal with.
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