In 1971, Steven Spielberg’s Duel saw one unsuspecting man terrorised by a psychotic truck driver in a deadly game of cat and mouse. Now in 2025, Director Joey Palmroos (The Outlaws 2024) has made his own Duel-inspired film – but this time the psychopath behind the wheel is a crazed snowplow driver.
In select theaters, Digital, and On Demand on October 17, 2025, through Saban Films, Delivery Run follows food delivery driver Lee (Alexander Arnold: Skins series, Yesterday 2019). Down on his luck, Lee dreams of owning his own business with his very own food truck. Unfortunately, Lee is heavily in debt and behind on all his bills. Amongst the people he owes money to is local loan shark Rebecca (Nadine Higgin: Military Wives 2019, Twelfth Night 2021), who turns up to Lee’s apartment one morning, along with one of her heavies. After threatening both Lee and his prized pet goldfish, Reggie, Rebecca gives Lee until the following day to pay the money he owes her.
With no other choice, Lee heads out for a day of deliveries, hoping that he can collect enough tips to raise the money he needs. On one long stretch of road, Lee comes across a snowplow truck and overtakes it, causing the driver to blare his horn at him. After that, Lee begins encountering the snowplow everywhere he goes—and the driver is not happy.
It is hard not to compare Delivery Run directly to Duel, but it does have its own merits. The most notable of these is arguably the film’s setting and locations. As the snowplow suggests, Delivery Run takes place in the depths of winter, where piles of snow and snowdrifts line the streets. This makes the film very atmospheric, and the desolate landscape only enhances how stranded and alone Lee is in his battle against the driver.
Delivery Run also attempts to add some humor to the story, giving Lee a slightly sarcastic persona and letting him get into several playful scenarios, such as multiple unsuccessful trips to a casino. All the while, he has his faithful pet Reggie along for the ride with him – albeit in a plastic bag. Palmroos’s use of humor in an otherwise horrific situation may not sit quite right for some audiences, but it does give the air of a Coen Brothers movie, which may be very appealing to others.
On the flip side, comparison is the thief of joy, and in that way, Delivery Run feels like a pale imitation. Throughout, the film lacks tension, and it struggles with pacing. There is too much time spent with secondary villains and unnecessary subplots.
At times, it is also difficult to care too much about Lee’s fate when he is not particularly likable, and he is not a character that you necessarily want to spend time with. In fact, it is easier to root for Reggie than Lee!
Overall, at under ninety minutes, Delivery Run is watchable enough. However, there is nothing that elevates it to a particularly effective Horror. That is why Cryptic Rock gives Delivery Run 2.5 out of 5 stars.
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