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: Come on you miserable fat-head, get that fat-ass truck outta my way.
Trivia: Steven Spielberg "interviewed" over 100 trucks before finding the forboding, evil looking one for the movie.
Question: Where was David Mann actually going? And where from? As in, which states? He seemed to be travelling for hours even before he met the truck and seemed to have a long way to go yet.
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Chosen answer: The movie opens with him in downtown Los Angeles, California, so he's probably from there or somewhere in Southern California. He's heading to Bakersfield, California, which is north, about 2 hours away. In the short story, he's heading to a client in San Francisco. However, in the film he gets off the main freeway running from LA to Bakersfield (IH-5) and takes Highway 14 towards Canyon Country.
Bishop73