Evengyny Thanks for the memories!

RipDelight This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

MusicChat It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

NateWatchesCoolMovies Fear of isolation has been a staple element in film since the beginning. A quiet, shrouded forest. A damp, derelict back alley. The endless waters of earth's oceans, which is where Philip Noyce's nightmarish psychosexual shocker Dead Calm takes place. The key is not in projecting fear of being isolated, which is bad enough, but instilling the unnerving notion that you're not actually alone after all, and be it human, supernatural or the forces of nature, something is out there with you. This is what vacationing couple Sam Neill and Nicole Kidman discover, only in this case it's no creature or ghost, but Billy Zane instead. I know what you're thinking, that perennial goofball Zane is the farthest thing from fearsome you could find, but he's actually one of the most memorable and shit-scary movie villains out there. Neill and Kidman are a couple with enough issues to begin with, sailing their schooner somewhere way out there trying to forget past tragedy, until Zane brings new trouble onto their horizon. After they rescue him half dead floating on the waves, he tells them of a capsized ocean liner, and claims to be it's only survivor. Neill isn't quite bought and sold on his story and ventured off to see for himself, unwisely leaving his wife behind with this strange dude, which is loose thriller plotting 101, but oh well, inciting incidents have to come from somewhere, don't they. Zane turns out to be an unstable maniac of the highest order, and steers the schooner off on his own course with Kidman in tow, and Neill left in the wake, trying to find them out there and save her. The scary thing about this villain is that he has no plan, no goals, no endgame or reason for doin this, he's simply certifiably out of his fucking head, and there's an unpredictability to that which I found immensely freaky. The scenes aboard the boat with him and Nicole on their own are charged with a tangible danger and crazed frenzy, a canary in a cage circled by a thoroughly crazy cat. The acting sells it there, with Kidman's raw terror and Zane's oddball sociopathy walking a narrow, rigid tightrope that could snap any second, and does. When the action comes it's fierce, R rated mayhem as Neill vengefully charges back into the picture, and although not as intimately scary as the horror bits, still holds our gaze. Zane also gets one of the coolest villain deaths ever seen, shot in full gory detail as well. A chamber piece at sea, a glowing example of effective filmmaking in the thriller genre, and scary in spades.

David Ferguson Greetings again from the darkness. For years, I considered this one of my favorite guilty pleasures; however, I now realize just how unfair that label is. After nearly 30 years, this arm-rest-gripping thriller from director Phillip Noyce (CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER, RABBIT-PROOF FENCE, THE QUIET American) deserves respect as a well made (except for the ending), well written and well acted film. It proves that two boats may not be enough for three people.Terry Hayes adapted the screenplay from the 1963 Charles Williams novel, and the production team, including George Miller, is behind the Mad Max franchise. Cinematographer Dean Semler won an Oscar a couple of years later with DANCES WITH WOLVES, and his eye brings us some terrific shots … none better than an early view of both boats and an expanse of sea.Of course the film is best known for showcasing a young up-and- coming actress named Nicole Kidman. She began her career at age 16 and was 21 when this one was filmed. Her youthful features have yet to make way for the mature and stunning woman we know today. The following year she appeared in DAYS OF THUNDER, kicking off her Tom Cruise era. In the quarter century since, Ms. Kidman has reached the pinnacle of the acting profession and is a four time Oscar nominee, winning for THE HOURS. She has never shied away from tough or controversial roles, and has recently excelled in THE BEGUILED and THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER. Earlier this year she won an Emmy for her challenging role in "Big Little Lies". Ms. Kidman's role here is as Rae, a mother entertaining her young son by singing "Eensy Weensy Spider" as she drives through a torrential storm that would eventually cause the accident that tragically kills the boy. Soon Rae and her military officer husband John (Sam Neill) are off on a rehabilitation trip aboard their sailing yacht . Their peaceful time together is interrupted as they spot a stalled schooner off in the distance, and a man frantically rowing a skiff towards them. They help a dazed and profusely sweating Hughie (Billy Zane) on board as he explains how the other passengers on The Orpheus all died from botulism. When John goes to check out The Orpheus, Hughie commandeers the yacht from Rae and heads off leaving John seemingly helpless on the sinking vessel. What follows is some extraordinary tension and psychological gamesmanship that keeps us enthralled with the three characters. The juxtaposition between the two boats is fascinating. As John's resourcefulness meticulously brings the dying Orpheus back to life, Rae and Hughie are involved in a mental chess match of life and death between a sociopath and a mother in mourning. There is also a creative manner in which John (and viewers) picks up some of the bleak backstory casting doubt on Hughie's tale.Sam Neill was in his early 40's, and this was four years before his Dr. Grant took the tour of JURASSIC PARK. In 1988 he had portrayed Meryl Streep's husband in A CRY IN THE DARK, and recently his strong, silent persona has been key to the success of HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE (one of last year's best) and TV's "Peaky Blinders". Billy Zane, age 22 at the time of filming, makes a wonderfully frenetic entrance in the film. He met his wife Lisa Collins on this shoot - she's one of the unfortunate Orpheus passengers. He has also enjoyed a long and consistent career, with his most recognizable roles being from TOMBSTONE (1993) and of course as Rose's jealous fiancé in TITANIC (1997). His cameos in the ZOOLANDER movies are legendary in comedy, and now in his 50's, Mr. Zane remains extremely busy as an actor. The tagline for the movie: "When you are in the middle of nowhere, there's nowhere to hide" is terrific, and the confines of a boat at sea set the stage for a life lesson – sometimes you just have to fight. Orson Welles worked on his version of the film for years, but the project was never finished. Instead, director Phillip Noyce and three excellent actors deliver a taut thriller that keeps our palms sweaty … at least right up until that ghastly ending that somehow leaves me annoyed and laughing in frustration.

Leofwine_draca Despite its age, I still see DEAD CALM as a pretty definitive seafaring thriller. To be more precise, it's a psychological thriller, one of many that were all the rage back in the late '80s and early '90s: FATAL ATTRACTION kick-started the sub genre, and there were many interesting choices along the way. For me, the two pinnacles of the genre are this film and THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE.The plot is deceptively simple, making use of just three actors. There's a loving couple, traumatised by events of the recent past, and a mysterious stranger hiding dark secrets. What follows is a hold-your-breath tense thrill-ride packed with twists and life-or-death situations. I loved the eerily isolated backdrop and director Phillip Noyce – who's made a career of edgy, dark filmmaking – makes perfect use of a small yacht to imprison his lead characters. The acting is also fine, which is a plus as if it hadn't been this film would have lost a lot of its charisma. Sam Neill is the sterling, never-give-up hero, and Billy Zane excels as the genuinely frightening psychopath, always retaining a hint of sympathy about him. But the film belongs to Nicole Kidman, who stars as the grieving woman forced to become a warrior to save both her husband's life and her own.Although I'm not a big fan of Kidman, I believe this to be one of her best performances, and it's hard to fault. She's fragile and gutsy, weak and powerful, all in the same breath, and watching her cat-and-mouse antics with Zane is what suspenseful filmmaking is all about. DEAD CALM is a classic thriller thanks to its pure simplicity.

slightlymad22 I saw "Dead Calm" on video when it was first released, I remembered I liked it, but the only think I actually remembered was Billy Zane was the bad guy and Nicole Kidman got her bum out during a sex scene (and I liked her pert bum a lot) so when I saw it was starting on TV I decided to revisit it.Plot In A Paragraph: John Ingram (Sam Neil) and his wife Rae (Nicole Kidman) who's recovering from a car accident, are on their sailboat somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. Their tranquil and blissful environment is changed when they rescue Hughie (Billy Zane) the lone survivor of a sinking ship they spot one morning. This is still an entertaining if slightly predictable movie, but I can not help but wonder what happened to the career of Sam Neil (who met his wife, Noriko Watanabe, in the making of this film) as he is a very talented actor with a great every man quality to him. He would go on to great success with "Jurassic Park" and "Event Horizon" both of which I love, before almost disappearing from mainstream movies. Last time I seen him he had a small role in "Escape Plan" opposite Sly Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger. He deserves better. Oh and I still really liked the pert bum of Nicole Kidman.