Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.5

Duel 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Justin Dekker November 29, 2023

Steven Spieberg's 'Duel" makes its 4k debut courtesy of Universal. The presentation includes 2160p/UHD output and an English Dolby Atmos audio track. The UHD disc retains all of the legacy features from the original Blu-ray of Duel, and includes one new feature, the Original TV Movie Version of 'Duel' in 1:33:1 Aspect Ratio (HD). The 2015 Blu-ray disc is also included, as is a Digital Code. This release also comes with a slipcover that reproduces the case's front and rear art.

For a discussion of the film, please refer to the review of the 2015 Blu-ray release of Duel.

Duel 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Please note, all screenshots are sourced from the included 1080p disc.

The original 2015 Blu-ray release was quite strong, boasting good colors and a high level of detail. And while it does look quite pleasing, the 4K presentation is clearly superior on every front. Colors are much more rich and vibrant - especially the red of Mann's car. It now distinctly pops out of the desert landscape, drawing our eye, and helping to highlight just how out of place Mann is here. Likewise, later in the film, the school bus is a much more convincing, saturated, and bright yellow. Even while much of what is on display is worn, old, and sun-faded, the colors appear to me to be much more realistic to their environment. Detail also sees a significant increase as well, and this is evident almost immediately as we work our way through the suburban and urban streets with incredible amounts of precise detail to be appreciated in houses, trees, storefronts, and even the asphalt and concrete itself. Once we get to the inside of Mann's car, the texture of the dash and steering wheel is almost palpable. The menacing truck becomes even more threatening thanks to the UHD upgrade. Every bit of grease, oil, and other vehicular fluids that have ever worked their way out of the truck's engine are now clearly visible on all sides of the hood. Likewise, the dust, dents, and worn paint on the truck and its many license plates bear witness to its long and difficult existence in the desert. Once we get into Chucks Cafe, the camera zooms in on the well-worn boots of its patrons, turning what should be a simple paranoia-inducing almost throwaway shot into veritable eye-candy as we are treated to rich leather colors and textures, with every scuff and scratch being rendered with great precision. The desert landscape also bursts to life with amazing detail well beyond anything we've seen from this film before. Even at highway speeds detail isn't sacrificed. Skin tones look very healthy on Mann and every single person he encounters on his ill- fated journey. Detailed fine lines, wrinkles, and hair are evident. Some fine grain is present and it is resolved very well, never rising problematic levels. The overall image is very clean and stable, with no dirt or damage detected, nor were there any video anomalies or encode issues that I noticed. Duel looks amazing and I would rate the video presentation a 4.75 out of 5.00.

Duel 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The English Dolby Atmos track is likewise impressive. Even during the film's more humble and mundane opening scenes, we are treated to some nice surround involvement as the vehicle moves through city streets and tunnels. Once the villainous truck makes its appearance, things really kick into high gear as we are fully enveloped by the throaty and aggressive rumble of its engine adding a level of sonic menace to its intimidating presence. Trains, which appear a bit more often than you'd think they should also push the soundtrack into overdrive, burying the viewer in a realistic and rumbling cacophony of sound. Horn blasts from the truck and the trains burst forth like jump scares heightening tension and fueling Mann's desperation. Quieter moments are also very satisfying. The radio shows and commercials sparkle with clarity and are appropriately positioned front and center. Music occasionally gets a chance to be in the spotlight, and while never overwhelming is delightfully crisp and precise. Dialogue, when we get it, is faithfully rendered, with even hushed asides being easily distinguishable and intelligible. Overall, it is a surprisingly energetic, immersive, and dynamic audio track that is sure to thrill viewers. Some fans may bristle at the fact that the original audio track is not included, and for the sake of completeness I wish it were. However, when performing a side-by-side comparison with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 tracks on the Blu-ray I honestly cannot see myself selecting them over the Dolby Atmos track present on the 4K disc.

English SDH subtitles are also available.

Duel 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The 4k disc has one new extra:

Original TV Movie Version of Duel in 1:33:1 Aspect Ratio (HD): This is no doubt the main draw of the special features. The original TV presentation in HD? Yes, please! However, that excitement gives way to disappointment almost immediately. I'll do my best to refrain from hyperbole, but, simply put, take everything positive that was said about the 4K presentation and strip it away and that's what we have here. Understanding that this may be a very unfair point of comparison, it also holds true with the included Blu-ray that replicates the 2015 release (read about it here). There's simply no comparison between the theatrical HD presentation and the TV HD presentation either. Viewers will immediately notice how washed-out the colors are. The vibrancy of Mann's Valliant is gone. Instead of popping out of the drab landscape and commanding our attention and focus, it is more muted and fits in with the environment. Fine detail also suffers greatly. The particulars and textures that should be visible in facial features, the car's interior, and the grit, grime, and age of the menacing truck's exterior are nowhere to be found. The desert landscape is similarly disappointing, with brush and trees present as mere green smudges on a tan and indistinct smear that our two vehicles travel through. The grainfield is relatively chunky and noisy, occasionally rising to levels that are quite unsightly and distracting. Skin tones do not look healthy here at all, tending toward a sickly tan/yellow, and to even greater detriment, Mann's face in particular can often appear quite waxy. To make matters worse, print damage and dirt also make their appearance early on in the film, and their unwelcome presence persists for the entirety of the feature, though I must admit, at some point I just became numb to them rather than bothered by them. The entire presentation here seems to be more in line with a mediocre to poor SD source that has simply been upscaled to HD. Speaking for myself, if I was going to watch Duel I would likely have always defaulted to the 4K presentation, and the TV version would have been a mere curiosity to simply view once. However, I know that there are much more ardent Spielberg fans out there, and fans of this movie in particular, who will be enormously disappointed by the quality of the TV version. Given its condition, I can't see anyone, fan or not, wanting to revisit this iteration of the film very often at all.

Listed below are all of the legacy features on the disc ported over from the previous Blu-ray of Duel. They are discussed in detail here.

A Conversation With Steven Spielberg: (35:44)

Steven Spielberg and the Small Screen: (9:27)

Richard Matheson: The Writing of Duel: (9:24)

Poster and Still Gallery: (3:30)

Theatrical Trailer: (1:00)

Duel 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Based on a short story by the legendary Richard Matheson, Steven Spielberg's Duel revs its way onto 4k with a very impressive audio and video presentation of its Theatrical release. Rich in color and detail and immersing viewers in textured, precise, and powerful sound, the film has absolutely never looked or sounded better, and fans of this version of the film will certainly be pleased. Unfortunately, the less-than-impressive Original TV Movie Version of 'Duel' in 1:33:1 Aspect Ratio is a major flat tire that may send some fans into a sort of couch-based road rage. However, even in spite of this issue, the strength of the film itself and the impressive quality of the Theatrical Cut is more than enough for this release to be recommended to those who are okay with what's under the hood.