Dead Calm (1989)

[The Great Owl]

I could not find an existing thread for this fine Blu-ray, so here we go...



After the tragic death of their son in an automobile accident, John, a Royal Australian Navy officer played by Sam Neill, and his wife, Rae, played by Nicole Kidman, embark alone on a sailing trip in the Pacific, in hopes that the vacation will help them to move on with their lives. Their tranquil isolation comes to an end when they encounter a damaged schooner that is hopelessly adrift at sea and welcome its sole survivor, played by Billy Zane, aboard their own boat, unaware that this psychotic guest has a terrifying secret.

The 1989 horror-edged Australian survival thriller, Dead Calm, first came to my attention when its distinctive poster art graced the back cover of several DC Comics (Swamp Thing, The Sandman, Hellblazer, etc.) that I collected at the time during my high school days. When it was subsequently released on VHS, it became a frequent rental choice under my roof, since my brother, who was attending the U.S. Naval Academy at the time, and me were both instant fans. The fact that this film was our introduction to Nicole Kidman factored into our enthusiasm, but we were also drawn to the taut story of resourceful protagonists who are left to their own devices against a diabolical enemy in the vast expanse of the open ocean where conventional laws and the associated protections in society do not apply.

Director Phillip Noyce, who would go on to helm a winning streak of action movies during the 1990s, namely Patriot Games, Sliver, Clear and Present Danger, and The Saint, makes impressive use of the widescreen format here to accentuate the remoteness of the location and the distance of the two boats from one another as Rae is taken hostage by the rescued killer while her husband is left behind with murdered corpses on the sinking craft that they have discovered. The narrative, based on a 1963 novel of the same name by Charles Williams, draws cues from Roman Polanski's 1962 psychological drama, Knife in the Water, but ups the ante on edge-of-the-seat suspense, especially when Neill's beleaguered character must rely on his sailing expertise in a race against time to reunite with his wife, while Kidman's Rae must find her inner steel in a nightmarish situation.

I had forgotten how much I used to love Dead Calm. Neill and Kidman are both endearing heroes because of their resilience, while Zane, who would later appear in James Cameron's Titanic, excels as a frighteningly twitchy and nervous madman whose vulnerabilities make him all the more unpredictable. The music score by Graeme Revell adds immensely to this movie's unnerving appeal.

This 2009 Warner Bros. Blu-ray delivers the goods with a nicely faithful and filmic video presentation. The end result could probably benefit from a restoration, and it's probably just a matter of time before Scream Factory or some other label puts out a rerelease, but I could easily stick with this one indefinitely if I had to. The Dolby 2.0 mix does not redefine audio capabilities for the format, but it does well to add an edge to the score.

This is a bare bones affair with no supplements other than a trailer.

[rocknblues81]

Very good. Zane deserved more substantial roles after this.

[Canada]

I love Dead Calm it is a very effective thriller.

[Canada]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FBy0b9J-zE

[blu-ray snob 1979]

I really love this movie. I've always been drawn to 90's erotic thrillers. Yes I know its from 89 but it has that vibe about it. Nicole Kidman is so attractive in this move she melts me face off. Both Kidman and Zane are perfectly cast. Really fun film.

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by rocknblues81

Very good. Zane deserved more substantial roles after this.

I liked him in The Phantom as well, although the movie didn't turn out as well as it could have. Like Christopher Reeve's Superman, he exuded a likable confidence and sense of humor that allowed him to carry off a ridiculous costume without looking foolish.

Wish this could get re-released with some decent supplements:

[SeanJoyce]

Originally Posted by rocknblues81

Very good. Zane deserved more substantial roles after this.

I'm a big fan of Sniper, his two-hander with Tom Berenger in the eponymous role.

Zane had a nice streak there in the 90s (we of course also can't forget him as the dandy stage actor in Tombstone), but I could never figure out if he was a guy simply overdoing it or if he was blessed with some kind of mad genius.

Watching him in Dead Calm (an effective thriller, I might add), he has the looks and dynamics that would have made him an interesting casting choice to play young Marlon Brando in an autobiography.

And oh yeah, my favorite Zane moment:

Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight - "F*ck this Cowboy Sh*t!!!" - YouTube

[movielib]

Thanks, Great Owl, for reminding me of this fine thriller. I had really forgotten about it and I wasn't even sure if I owned a copy. Turns out I do and I'm planning on watching it soon with my wife for the first time in many years.

[MJD64]

Great thread, Great Owl !

Regrettably, I missed this upon its theatrical release, but I've loved it since renting it on VHS (who remembers when that was a thing?) early in 1990.It's such a well-crafted thriller, with sharp editing and superb lensing courtesy of DP Dean Semler who, as he'd proven with THE ROAD WARRIOR, knows how to make the most of natural locations and anamorphic widescreen framing. Sam Neill's stalwart huband and Billy Zane's twitchy psycho - a performance I still consider to be his best - are both terrific, and Philip Noyce's taut direction keeps it all wonderfully suspenseful.

And then there's Nicole Kidman. She was only either 19 or 20 when she filmed this and it's a star-making performance. She holds the screen with her beauty, presence and skill as a serious actress - such a rare combination in one so young. Her Rae Ingram is a grieving mother who at first appears too emotionally fragile to handle this frighteningly intense and dangerous situation she suddenly finds herself in...but her resourcefulness and strength are there, and Kidman's accomplished performance is compelling and, again, striking in one so young.

I'm likewise disappointed this has never been afforded a special-edition; would love to see new interviews with crew members and all three principal actors in a newly remastered Blu from Shout or some other boutique label - it's long overdue!

[Jay H.]

I would love to see the original ending.

[Monterey Jack]

Young, freckly, curly-haired Nicole...

[kong73]

thanks, I'll watch this tonight.

[Britbuffguy]

GREAT movie.

[MassiveMovieBuff]

Love Dead Calm. One of Billy Zane's best performances as well Nicole Kidman.

[Show spoiler]The only thing that bugs me about the film is that I personally would NEVER leave my wife alone with a stranger especially if I had a suspicious feeling about him

but without that the film wouldn't work and everything else is so good about it that it's easy to forgive. In a weird way it actually kind of adds an extra layer to the suspense for me.

[SeanJoyce]

A fresh watch is in order, but I've never been able to figure out exactly what the hell occurred on the boat Zane came off of. Anybody care to enlighten, or spin their own interpretation?

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by SeanJoyce

A fresh watch is in order, but I've never been able to figure out exactly what the hell occurred on the boat Zane came off of. Anybody care to enlighten, or spin their own interpretation?

I rather like the ambiguity and the scattered hints. We know that Hughie killed everybody on board, or that, at the least, he was the last man standing. He could have been the psycho that killed everybody, it could have been a big LSD drug party that went horribly wrong, or something else. All that we know is the Hughie was in a big hurry to ditch the scene and that he was lying about the food poisoning.

The end result works well for the simplicity of this film. It’s not really about Zane’s Hughie villain. It’s about the married couple.

[The Sovereign]

I was lucky to catch this in the theater during its initial release. Besides being a terrific thriller, watching just about any movie set on the ocean is best seen on the biggest screen possible.

I've never upgraded my DVD, in hopes that a better BD would eventually be released. But thinking about it again is pushing me to get it. Maybe I can trigger a new release.

[lilboyblu]

This was available for dirt cheap at Hamilton Books for a time. After reading all the praise here, I wish I hadn't let it pass me by. Recently being refamiliarized with Phillip Noyce's work too (by way of the Jack Ryan/Harrison Ford 4K's), I'll definitely keep an eye out for it.

[SeanJoyce]

You ever pour a beer and then drink damn near the whole thing while you're looking at your shelves (or whatever your arrangement is), pondering what to watch for the night?

I decided to revisit Dead Calm, this time on Blu-ray for the first time. And to echo what myself and others have said in this thread, it is a damn fine thriller with an excellent performance triumvirate.

I tried to pay close attention this time to the video/audio of the recorded interactions between the doomed crew, and I still can't really make heads or tails out of it. The head photographer seems like a control freak, and I've always thought Zane's character snaps from being bullied and berated. But I suppose a bad drug party is as feasible an explanation as there is.

One more word there, those trippy and unnerving clips seem to anticipate the downright ghoulish footage excerpts in another of my favorite Sam Neill movies, Event Horizon.

[koover]

How coincidental for me that you started this thread.
Today I took this film off my shelf and placed in my queue.
Before doing so, I searched this site looking for a thread just to get caught up on user reviews (there ar 4) and/or discussions only to find nada. I’m now more driven to watch this right away. Thanks owl as you have impeccable timing sir!