(1989)
4
Michael Hastings
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.
Dead Calm on AllMovie
Dead Calm (1989)
