Dead Calm [Blu-ray]

Director: Phillip Noyce Phillip Noyce

Overview

Grieving over the death of their son, a married couple decide to take a long yachting trip for relaxation's sake. Their journey takes a dark turn, however, when they rescue a young man from a drifting vessel. The couple soon discover that the other ship's crew had been brutally murdered by their new passenger, and find themselves in a battle of wits against this violent sociopath. Interestingly, a previous attempt had been made at adapting the novel that inspired this film by none other than Orson Welles; footage from his unfinished version, known as "The Deep," can be seen in the documentary Orson Welles: The One-Man Band.

Product Details

Release Date:	09/08/2009
UPC:	0883929064397
Original Release:	1989
Rating:	R
Source:	Warner Home Video
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:36:00
Sales rank:	14,980

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Sam Neill	John Ingram
Nicole Kidman	Rae 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
Wallis Nicita	Actor
Graeme Revell	Composer

Technical Credits

Terry Hayes

Charles Williams

Phillip Noyce	Director
Terry Hayes	Screenwriter,Producer
Doug Mitchell	Producer
Glen Boswell	Stunts,Stunts
Nick Breslin	Sound Effects
Brian Cox	Special Effects
Charles Williams	Screenwriter
Wallis Nicita	Casting
Glenn Ruehland	Stunts
George Miller	Producer
Phil Judd	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Though it's no Knife in the Water, director Phillip Noyce's tense, visceral '80s thriller injects a much-needed claustrophobic jolt into the standard yuppies-in-danger plotline that seemed to be in such abundance in the late '80s and early '90s (see also Pacific Heights and The Hand That Rocks the Cradle). The pulpy influence of director George Miller can be felt in every frame of Dead Calm, from the just-over-the-top performances (the best of which is given by a then-unknown Nicole Kidman), to the copious bloodletting and sordid twists in the film's third act. Dead Calm isn't above pulling the rug out from under its audience, and it succumbs to the lame passage of dialogue here and there, but it's at least precise, economical, and taut -- certainly more so than the routine Hollywood product Noyce would churn out for the next decade or so.