Dead Calm (R)

With blockbuster titles including “The Bone Collector,” “Patriot Games,” and “Clear and Present Danger,” to name a few, Australian director Phillip Noyce has managed to etch out a resume for gripping thrillers as vicious as the bite from an aggravated taipan. One of Noyce’s earliest forays into full length Hollywood cinema came courtesy of the 1989 high seas thriller “Dead Calm.” Featuring award-worthy performances from its three stars (including the breakout performance of the regal Nicole Kidman) the tension and suspense of “Dead Calm” is owned by its story, as well as the setting – which rivals classic thrillers “The Thing” and “Alien” in terms of its isolated backdrop.

We begin with the arrival of Naval Officer John Ingram (Sam Neill) on Christmas Eve. In the midst of his fellow sailors embracing their loved ones, John searches the train station for signs of his family. The joyous moment is quickly usurped with news that his wife Rae (Kidman) and toddler son have been involved in a horrific car accident. The couple’s first and only child has not survived, and Rae, who was driving, is now in a state of depression and denial. In effort to ease her mood, John takes Rae sailing on their yacht. As weeks at sea pass, Rae begins to relieve herself of the burden and guilt from the crash.

One day (in which John notes the conditions as ‘dead calm’ in his journal) the couple discovers a seemingly lifeless yacht adrift nearby. John attempts to contact the vessel via the radio system but gets no response. Looking through the binoculars on deck, Rae discovers a small dinghy frantically paddled by a lone man quickly headed towards them. John and Rae help the disheveled stranger aboard. The man identifies himself as Hughie Warriner (Billy Zane). Hughie states that the boat he was in is sinking, and that the other five people aboard all died of food poisoning.

After hearing the story and reading some of Hughie’s data logs, John grows suspicious of the tale. “I just can’t swallow it.” He tells Rae, citing his twenty-five years at sea as the primary reason. While Hughie is asleep (and locked up) in one of the bedrooms below deck, John takes the dinghy over to the sinking ship to investigate, advising Rae to load the gun that’s on board and keep it with her. As the viewer watches the tension mount, back and forth from ship to ship, John reaches the besieged craft and begins to piece together a frightening mystery. Simultaneously, we see Hughie, awaken from his feigned sleep and fully functioning, as he overpowers Rae and absconds with the yacht. John now has the dilemma of saving his wife, and himself, as he is stranded on a sinking ship with limited power in the middle of the ocean.

“Dead Calm” does a masterful job of blending suspense and thrills into the confined spaces of two small ships in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, 1200 miles from land. The boat to boat shots viewed ominously through binoculars with the vast ocean as a backdrop will send chills down your spine as the drama unfolds.

With only three characters, the challenge of each actor is a daunting one at best, and each rises to the occasion. Sam Neill does a great job of portraying the heroic everyman, a precursor to his legendary portrayal of Dr. Alan Grant in “Jurassic Park.” Nicole Kidman has had a stellar career with too many films to name, and “Dead Calm” served as a great starting point for the then twenty-two year old. Kidman captures the role of the typical helpless female, but also adds a sense of resistance and rebellion that put the viewer in her mindset as she faces the nearly impossible situation at hand. One touching and perfect scene shows Rae and John communicating via radio. John’s device is damaged and he can only reply to her questions and concerns about his safety with a series of clicks for ‘yes’ and ‘no.’ Rae’s emotions go from sorrow to joy that Jon is still alive, and quickly to terror as she realizes Hughie, who is on deck, could burst in on her at any second.

The real star of the film is Billy Zane, who ushers in his own brand of instability and insanity as the villain Hughie second to none. Zane has a way of owning the slimiest of characters and “Dead Calm” offers foreshadowing for his most famous role eight years later of the vile Caledon Hockley in the epic “Titanic.” One truly creepy scene shows Hughie playing and singing along to the African chant song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” (which would later gain international fame in the film “The Lion King,”) as Rae attempts to poison his drink.

I have only two complaints from “Dead Calm.” The first is the lack of development for Zane’s character. I had several ideas for how this archfiend could have come about but the real reason supplied is a bit weak and one dimensional – a common Hollywood failure when the antagonist is a grown man who all of sudden wakes up one day and commits a litany of atrocities. The other criticism is a big one, the ending, which runs just one scene too long and as such succeeds only in losing major points for the entire film. The thriller has to insert a standard and almost cartoonish unrealism to the end and as such, weakens the entire story, and as the final scenes unfold, you’ll know full well what’s coming.

Check out “Dead Calm” for a great thrill ride, unique premise and terrific acting. The movie runs 96 minutes. You may want to do yourself a favor and hit the stop button at 91.

– by Matt Christopher