A Voyage Into Fear.

High Seas. Deep Terror.

Try To Stay Calm.

In the middle of nowhere there is nowhere to hide.


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. ~

Dead Calm has a 95% "fresh" rating at Rotten Tomatoes, albeit significantly lower with audiences culminating a score of 58% "rotten", and a critical rating of 7.5/10.[5] According to Variety, Kidman is "excellent throughout, ... [giving] the character of Rae real tenacity and energy;" and the picture is "handsomely produced and inventively directed."[6] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote that the film "generates genuine tension."[7] Desson Howe of the Washington Post praised the film's creators: "Noyce's direction moves impressively from sensual tenderness (between husband and wife) to edge-of-the-seat horror. With the accomplished editing by Richard Francis-Bruce and scoring by Graeme Revell, he finds lurking dangers in quiet, peaceful waters."[8]
On the other hand, Caryn James of the New York Times felt that the film was "an unsettling hybrid of escapist suspense and the kind of pure trash that depends on dead babies and murdered dogs for effect," and that Dead Calm "becomes disturbing for all the wrong reasons."[9] A number of critics faulted the film's ending as being over-the-top, with the Post's Howe writing, "... while it's afloat, 'Dead Calm' is a majestic horror cruise. ... For much of the movie, you're enthralled. By the end, you're laughing."[8]
The acting was generally considered excellent, with Zane being cited for injecting "unforgettable humanity and evil puckishness into his role"[8] and being "suitably manic and evil." And while Rita Kempley of the Washington Post wrote "what's most fascinating about it is Rae's place in the pantheon of heroines, an Amazon for the '90s,"[10] the Times' James called Kidman's character "tough but stupid."[9]
The film is listed on the New York Times Top 1000 Movies list,[11] derived from editor Peter M. Nichols' The New York Times Guide to the Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made (St. Martin's Griffin, 2004).


Release Date: April 7, 1989


Distrib: Warner Brothers


Boxoffice: $7,825,009 2013: $15,866,800