MovieChat Forums > Duel (1971) Discussion > The truck driver wasn't a deranged would...

The truck driver wasn't a deranged would-be killer

posted 5 years ago by [deleted]
4 replies | jump to latest

Case in point: the school bus. Mann was too busy being concerned and warning the driver and children about the truck driver and then driving off in a hurry, that I'm sure even he was surprised when the truck driver actually HELPED the school bus get started. It's very likely that the truck driver was a hero to those kids. And Mann thought the truck driver was going to try to kill them all.

It makes you wonder if Mann was a hero for destroying the truck at the end, or if he had just tricked an innocent man into crashing to death.

[–] strntz (10931) 5 years ago

Yeah, he was a sweetheart. Loved to have known him.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

OK, so maybe he WAS mentally stressed and snapped when Mann overtook him, like he wanted to be "in front" at a sedate speed, so to speak, but he obviously didn't take his road rage out on others apart from Mann. Or did he?

[–] strntz (10931) 5 years ago

I think the truck driver was either criminally insane or pure evil. He stopped to help the school bus to screw with David Mann's head, which he did most effectively. If he didn't have his attention fixed upon David Mann, he might have driven the school bus off the road instead.

[–] MikeCable (1672) 5 years ago

Exactly. My take on it was that he helped the schoolbus to play with Mann's head!

Mann may have driven off thinking that was the end of it and the truck driver will move on, but then look what happened!