Rating: 
Summary: Not scary enough for me.... (Spoilers!)
Review: SPOILERS!
Perhaps i'm the kind of person that doesn't get scared in movies: Psycho was boring, The Ring was funny, and Dead Calm was dull. If you find movies like Psycho scary, then you may find this scary. The premise is simple: a couple is taking a boat voyage, when they find a drifter who gets rid of the husband and terrorizes the wife. Now, there are some scenes that are shocking, such as when the baby flies out the car window. But this movie isn't really scary, it just has litle dialogue, lots of running and chasing, etc. But if you like thrillers, don't take my word for it, check it out, you may enjoy it :)
Rating: 
Summary: Nicole Kidman will fetch your eyes
Review: The first few minutes suggest Polanski's "Knife in the Water" with harbingers of the Coleridge poem, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner." But this is a film with its intent squarely on the box office; and, aside from the riveting Nicole Kidman, whose sensual vitality dominates the film, nothing so interesting materializes. Nonetheless the tension is nearly unbearable even though it's all predictable: the idyllic couple aboard their yacht alone on the open ocean take on a psychopath whose ship is sinking. Well, we can see he's a nut case from the first grin, and our only thought is, keep him away from your wife! So naturally the husband, played with leading man true grit by Sam Neill, leaves her alone with him while he pokes around in the other vessel with anticipated horrific consequences.The close ups on Nicole Kidman's face are so intense you can feel her skin and almost smell her breath. She proves to be quite an actress as she wrestles with the psycho, played with such fidelity by Billy Zane that I found myself repeatedly urging her to shoot the sickie. As the situation rapidly becomes impossible for our heroic couple, we realize that it's all very stagy, and upon further thought, fake; yet the intense photography, the seemingly veracious nautical business, and the fine acting by all, plus all that water, make it almost real. Very far out from reality however is the final scene where psycho-boy comes back to life, so to speak, and then-well, watch it and see. Incidently, it is interesting to compare this Nicole Kidman with the one seen nowadays. Clearly she has matured and become more shapely; but I wonder, has she lost some intensity? Regardless, she is a charismatic, hard-working, very serious actress who may eventually have a career to match, say, Jane Fonda or even Shirley MacLaine.
Rating:
Summary: An smart suspense thriller.
Review: The Plot:Joe(Sam Neill) and Rae(Nicole Kidman) Ingram are trying to start a new life, after the lost of thier Two old son. Since they are sailing in the open sea. After they pick up an only survivor(Billy Zane) from an crippled schooner. Then the strange who survive become danger to the couple, and the couple gets separate by the Stranger. Now is a fight to survive to the horrific nightmare at the sea. DVD`s has an flawed but fine widescreen(2.35:1) anamorphic format and Pan & Scan is alivable. Dolby Surround 2.0 Stereo has good surrounds and some good base. Good Trailer also. Strong Performance by Kidman, Neill and Zane. Strong Direction by Philip Noyce(Patroit Games, The Bone Collector). Fine music score by Graeme Revell(The Crow, Titan A.E., Bride of Chuchy). Co-Produced by George Miller(He directed-Mad Max Trilogy, The Witches of Eastwick and he also produced the children classic film-Babe and also underrated sequel). One of the strong thriller from the Late Eighties, also if you like Dead Calm, then see the tense thriller-The Hitcher(1986). It has a silmilar strong tense moments in these two fine good thrillers. Grade:A-.
Panavision.
Rating:
Summary: 4-and-a-half Stars .... A Good Thriller
Review: This early Nicole Kidman film was a pleasant surprise to this writer. It's a well-told tale of a triangle at sea, involving a man & wife (Sam Neill, Kidman) and a slightly (or maybe a little more) off-center stowaway (Billy Zane) that the couple picks up when Zane's own craft experiences difficulties. It soon becomes apparent to Sam & Nicole that this guy isn't quite what he seems. There's some snappy dialogue here, to accompany the gorgeous scenery, plus some very tense moments aboard the two vessels we see in the picture. (And Nicole's no small potatoes herself in this late-'80s production.) :) The DVD of this movie is quite nice (IMO). Good, crisp, clear images, where every single drop of water/perspiration can be individually seen donning the crazed Zane, who is oft-times filmed in close-up here. The DVD features both Full Screen and Widescreen 2.35:1 (16:9 Enhanced) versions on the 2-sided platter. The Widescreen variant is by far the best way to view the film, however (as with EVERY motion picture). There's one shot in the film that is particularly effective, I thought, in Widescreen...a long overhead shot where we see both of the sea vessels in question as they approach each other slowly, one on the far left of the Widescreen frame, and the other on the very far right. Coupled with the beautiful background and rippling water of the ocean, this camera shot would make an ideal wallpaper for your computer (if one could only find a way to do it). A great shot for the DVD Player's freeze-frame at least. "Dead Calm" is definitely worthy of a spot in anyone's DVD library.
Rating: 
Summary: Astoundingly eerie.
Review: This film is all about calm eerieness. Anticipation. You have to have a brain to appreciate the way this film is made and you have to enjoy a dialogue and mindplay sort of mentality to really enjoy it. Sam Neill is fine as the boring older husband. Billy Zane, as charming as he can be, overdoes his part and sometimes his insanity just isn't as believable as you'd like it to be...and Nicole Kidman shows more talent here than she has in any of the other films I've seen her in. The director and writer are the ones who should really be given extraordinary credit. Great script, great direction! This movie will keep your eyes glued to the screen...and the film playing on the sinking boat is just flat-out creepy.
Rating:
Summary: NOTHING SHORT OF BRILLIANT
Review: This is Australian Film Making at its best, with 3 Brilliant Performances. It is a sad shame that Kidman has accepted lesser roles to make money - as her current acting is no reflection on this film, If you liked caped fear then this is for you.
Rating:
Summary: Intense!!!!
Review: This is one film that is indelibly etched in my mind forever! It gives me the creeps! I can't watch it just any ol' time, because it's so freaky. I find it exhausting, because throughout the movie, my heart runs the Kentucky Derby, and my mind reels from the sheer and realistic terror! I LOVE it! Solidly acted, great plot twists, and just complete fun if you like to have your wits strung out on a line! Plus, seeing Sam Neill in uniform is a nice thing too!
Rating:
Summary: Sexy and full of suspense
Review: This is one of the best thrillers I have ever seen with great performances from Kidman, Zane and neil. The director does a great job of surrounding u with suspense! The story is about a couple going for a vacation on a boat which they unfortunately meet phyco Zane who had murdered his whole crew on his boat. Kidman is sexy and she will interest while your watching.She draws attention from Zane who simply forces Kidman to engage intercourse with him.The film is one of the best thrillers around, with superb suspense and the delivery of sexual tension between a kidman and Zane. Must see!
Rating:
Summary: FANTASTIC!
Review: This is one of the most intense thrillers I've seen. To really appreciate this movie it should be seen on a surround sound system. The music and suspense keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.
Rating:
Summary: A Triumph of Movie Minimalism
Review: This movie is a must see for any budding movie directors out there. The plot and script is excellent, but the setting for the film is a classic example of how less can be more. Consider: Two yachts, three characters and a featureless ocean. Under such limited resources, such a film could easily become a study in banality, but the director avoids this with careful attention to detail. Dead Calm has not received the attention it deserves.
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