The story, which revolves around an Australian couple taking a vacation to recover from the death of their young child in an automobile accident, might sound like the perfect movie to relax to on any evening, however it isn't. While sailing Australia's Great Barrier Reef and the South Pacific, the young couple played by Nicole Kidman ("Days of Glory"; "Batman Forever") and Sam Neill ("Renaissance Man"; "Jurassic Park") pick up a castaway played by Billy Zane ("Titanic"; "Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight") who is the sole survivor of a sinking ship.

After hearing his story Neill's character decides to go to the ship and check it out firsthand. That was his big mistake. Soon Zane hijacks the yacht and Kidman, leaving Neill to sink in the ship he fled. The sinister motives for Zane's departure from the ship are later discovered as the movie progresses, however it is Kidman's and Zane's chemistry and performance that make this movie one of the best suspense thrillers I have ever seen.

As usual, Zane, is the ideal villain. I wouldn't be surprised if it was this film that led to Hollywood's decision to cast him as a villain in almost every film he has done since "Dead Calm". He was brilliant in "Titanic", and the most sinister and witty horror villain since Freddy Kruegger in "Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight" However, his performance as the deranged castaway in this film mixes his ability to use his intense sex appeal with his professionalism to the fullest extent.

Director Philip Noyce ("U2: Rattle & Hum") happens to be one of Australia's most gifted actors. Along with Stephen Norrington ("Blade") these gifted Australian directors give Hollywood a new reason to head "Down Under" when searching for top-notched directors for their films.

"Dead Calm" represents Australia's prominence in world cinema when it comes to intelligent thrillers produced at half the costs associated with a major Hollywood Thriller nowadays. If you're looking for an intense thriller, you've found it.


DELIGHTFUL BONE-CHILLER   May 11, 2002
 22 out of 22 found this review helpful

When Dead Calm's promotional editor warns you to "Try to Stay Calm," believe me when I say you're not up to the challenge. If this one doesn't shock you, you better get your girlfriend to check your pulse.

The story is simple: Nicole Kidman and Sam Neill hit the ocean for some quality time together to forget the auto accident that claimed their only child. Kidman is barely there at first--she was driving when their son was killed and suffers from overpowering sorrow and guilt. When the couple floats up on a disabled ship with only one surviving passenger--Billy Zane--they take him aboard, unaware that they've just taken in an angel of death. From this point on the terror mounts relentlessly as Kidman and Neill struggle to deal with Zane and the hellfire he brings with him. Eventually separated, the husband and wife must dig deep within themselves just to stay alive.

The great cast makes what could have been a routine B-movie work. Kidman is particularly outstanding as the emotionally vampirized young wife who slowly evolves into a strong woman who can rescue her man when she needs to. Neill, one of the industry's most underrated performers, is stalwart and professional as always. Zane gives Anthony Perkins a run for his money as the psychotic young man who can only destroy what he doesn't understand--everything.

A marvelous dish of cold chills, Dead Calm is highly recommended to anyone who loves a good, intelligent scare.


Gripping   March 25, 2002
 10 out of 10 found this review helpful

I'm like a lot of people in that I first discovered Nicole Kidman when I caught this gripping Australian thriller on cable. Though I had initially low expectations for both the film and the actress, both delivered the goods and then some. Dead Calm is that rarity amongst thrillers -- a suspenseful, scary film that actually engages the viewer and sticks in the mind after the final credits role.

The plot is admirably simple and straight forward. Sam Niell and Nicole Kidman play a married couple mourning the death of their son (who dies in the film's first few minutes -- though you can see the development coming miles away, both the direction of Phillip Noyce and the performances of Neill and Kidman make the death into a realistic tragedy as opposed to a mere plot device). Looking to escape their grief and save their marriage, they board their sailboat (Neill's character is a Naval officer) and take a vacation from society. After a few days at sea, they pick up a desperate castaway (Billy Zane) who claims to be escaping from a disease-stricken pleasure cruise...

This is a film that works despite of, rather than because, of its plot. Many of the character's actions don't make much logical sense...

In the hands of a lesser cast or director, these flaws would certainly have meant the death of any other film. However, the talent here is all top notch. Phillip Noyce manages to emphasize how isolated his characters are without making the film itself feel overly stagy; the viewer feels the story's claustrophobia without ever feeling cramped themselves. The film's cast does a wonderful job of bringing their characters to life, despite the inconsitencies inherent in the plot. All of them are familiar enough faces that the audience feels like they know them even as the fast-paced plot unfolds but none of them are such huge stars that they seem impervious to harm. Sam Neill, of course, has made a career of playing well-meaning, upright men who have to prove themselves stronger than they might actually appear and he does an excellent job in this film. Billy Zane has always had a rather irreverent attitude to his film work and while that has kept him from becoming a major star, it makes him perfect as the film's villian. With his jittery nervousness, Zane manages to make the audience laugh without ever making his character seem to be less of a threat. It is perhaps the ultimate compliment that a film psycho can be given in that the audience enjoys his time on screen and are just as happy once he's gone.

However, the film truly belongs to Nicole Kidman. Whether her character is being petulant and casually flirtatious or terrified and victimized or finally displaying an unexpected iron-clad will as she battles with Zane, Kidman is never less than riveting. Her character is a difficult one and not all of her actions add up but, through Kidman's fascinating and magnetic performance, none of that matters. After years of being overshadowed by her marriage to Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman has only recently been acknowledged as a talented actress and radiant star in her own right. Those of us who were lucky enough to see her in Dead Calm -- years before she became Mrs. Tom Cruise -- already knew that.


A small cast doing a great job.   February 15, 2000
 9 out of 9 found this review helpful

It must be quite a challenge, to make a movie with only three real characters that can still hold the attention of the audience. Philip Noyce has actually made it work. Right from the beginning Neill, Kidman and Zane manage to keep the viewer bound to his television. The story keeps up an admirable pace and the characters truly come to life. Zane as a lunatic seems at first to be overplaying his part, but in the end you can believe he is totally crazy. Neill and Kidman as the married couple out for a cruise that get stuck with the maniac killer manage to convey a true affection for each other despite the recent shock to their relationship. My only objection is the end. I know, that cinematic psycho's are nearly indestructible, but the way Billy Zane, seriously injured several times, manages to keep on coming is suspending disbelieve a little too far.


The Original Survivor   January 28, 2003
 9 out of 10 found this review helpful

Released in 1989, this low-budget film is remarkable for several reasons. Most obviously, it was Nicole Kidman's first leading role, which she handles brilliantly. At 20, we can already see the star quality and intensity of concentration that distinguishes much of her later work. As Rae Ingram, she hits so many levels from adoring wife to loving and then grieving mother, seductress, warrior, and survivor. The special effects at the beginning of the movie where the child is flung through the windshield, while emotionally unpleasant, are well executed. As the plot mechanism which leads John & Rae into the dead calm cruise, what follows with the struggle with Hughie Warriner effectively puts the grieving out of mind. Sam Neill as John Ingram does a great job of playing the loving husband, grieving father, and skilled naval officer who winds up stranded on a sinking boat and must use hits wits & skill to survive. Billy Zane as Hughie seems to enjoy letting loose as the crazed killer on the high seas. Australian director Phillip Noyce would later go on to make several big-budget features with Harrison Ford, "Clear & Present Danger" & "Patriot Games." "Dead Calm" was the feature that first got Hollywood's attention for him. He does an amazingly masterful job of crafting an intense, sometimes too intense, experience on the boat that not only holds our attention but rivets us to the outcome. As I see the ads for the "Survivor" series on television, this film is kind of like the original "survivor" with Kidman being the million-dollar winner. Last but not least, the dog is a real character in the piece and one of the cutest of canines. "Dead Calm" is amazing because they accomplished so much with so little. When Zane's head finally lights up at the end, we breathe the final sigh of relief. U snooze, U lose with this diamond in the rough. Enjoy!