Dead Calm (1989)

After a tragedy, John Ingram and his wife Rae are spending some time isolated at sea, when they come across a stranger who has abandoned a sinking ship.

Director:

Phillip Noyce

Writers:

Terry Hayes (screenplay), Charles Williams (novel)

Stars:

Nicole Kidman, Sam Neill, Billy Zane

5 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Nicole Kidman	...	Rae Ingram
Sam Neill	...	John Ingram
Billy Zane	...	Hughie Warriner
Rod Mullinar	...	Russell Bellows
Joshua Tilden	...	Danny
George Shevtsov	...	Doctor
Michael Long	...	Specialist Doctor
Lisa Collins	...	'Orpheus' Cruise Girl
Paula Hudson-Brinkley	...	'Orpheus' Cruise Girl
Sharon Cook	...	'Orpheus' Cruise Girl
Malinda Rutter	...	'Orpheus' Cruise Girl
Benji	...	Dog (as Benji U.D. A.D.)

Storyline

An Australian couple take a sailing trip in the Pacific to forget about a terrible accident. While on the open sea, in dead calm, they come across a ship with one survivor who is not at all what he seems.

---

Plot Keywords:

sailboat | female nudity | nudity | psychological thriller | psychological | 

---

Taglines:

A Voyage Into Fear.

---

Genres:

Horror | Thriller

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 April 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dead Calm: A Voyage Into Fear

Filming Locations:

Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

$10,400,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,463,551, 9 April 1989, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$7,825,009

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kennedy Miller Productions, Lynx Location Services

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min 83 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Black Schooner was played by the Golden Plover, a coal-carrying brigantine historic tall ship that provided charter sails for paying customers. During the filming, the crew who toured and served on the schooner felt the real ship should have been burned at the end of the movie rather than the replica due to her poor condition and gloomy interior! The Golden Plover was finally broken up, rotting away and neglected in August 2011.

---

Goofs

During the first part of the sex scene Hughie rips off Rae's shorts and underwear. When she slips on a robe to go run up on deck and get the shotgun, she is wearing a white thong underneath her robe.

---

Quotes

Hughie Warriner: How do I smell?
[no answer]
Hughie Warriner: Thanks for your honest opinion.

---

Crazy Credits

The producers wish to thank the owners of 'Storm Vogel' for the use of their yacht as the 'Saracen' and Keith Williams, the staff and management of Hamilton Island.

---

Alternate Versions

The German DVD is cut for nudity and violence. One of the cuts is in the ending where Hugh gets the flare in his mouth. The same master was used on the Scandinavian and Spanish DVD-release.

---

Connections

Referenced in Psych: Bounty Hunters! (2007)

---

Soundtracks

Who Stole the Isopropyl Alcohol
Written & Performed by Tim O'Connor
Copyright © 1988 Kennedy Miller Productions Pty. Ltd.

User Reviews

A great horror thriller in the style of Eric Red

Dead Calm is directed by Australian film maker Philip Noyce (Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger) and he is very talented director. This film stars young Nicole Kidman (21-22 years old in this film!) as a wife to Sam Neill and they have lost their son in a horrible car accident. They want to get over it and so they go to the sea with their boat and spend several weeks there. All is going fine and they are going to get over the loss of their son, but soon they discover an abandoned looking ship in the horizon and a man (Billy Zane) paddling desperately towards them. The man reaches the ship and the couple helps him on the board. He is little confusing and suspicious and soon his real nature is revealed...

This is extremely pleasant thriller and reminds me of films written by Eric Red (The Hitcher, Near Dark, Blue Steel) and these four films are very similar. The atmosphere in Dead Calm is very haunting and incredibly restrained. The atmosphere is also very similar to David Lynch and Lost Highway and Twin Peaks. The music is very important element in Dead Calm (as is in The Hitcher and Near Dark, too) and the overall feeling is very threatening and ominous. There are many exciting and breath taking scenes such as the one in which Sam Neill is trapped in a boat that is sinking and filling with water. With music, the photography is great and there are definitely no technical flaws in this great and surprisingly effective flick.

The young Nicole Kidman is so talented and acts perfectly. No one can say she can't act. Just look at her face and expressions: she is the main character in here and she is almost in every scene and she does nothing wrong or never acts over the top. The other actor's are also great, Sam Neill and Bill Zane, even though Zane goes little too far in couple of scenes and is not too believable. But overall, because there are so many great elements here, these little flaws and illogical plot turns can be forgiven.

Philip Noyce is worth watching director and he has done also other effective thrillers, but I think this will be one of his greatest achievements. Dead Calm is highly recommended.

8/10