Steven Spielberg’s Duel and Postmodern Epic

Abstract

Steven Spielberg’s Duel, based on a short story by Richard Matheson, is a film in which it is possible to notice a mixture of different film genres: thriller, road movie, fantasy, horror and Western. This paper aims to provide a new category which includes the features of the diverse types of films which can be identified but that, at the same time, shows the intention of the plot of the film within the sociohistorical context in which it is framed as well. Among the possible genres, the Western is one of those that can fulfill this catalytic function but, moreover, Duel shows features of different Western subgenres, within the postmodern idea of pastiche. As for the plot, the film sets out a reflection on different aspects of contemporary life that the North American citizen had to face.