An Australian couple take a sailing trip in the Pacific to forget about a terrible accident. While on the open sea, in dead calm weather conditions, they come across a ship with one survivor who is not at all what he seems.
[Noyce is] a masterful manipulator, but eventually there is no more wind in these sails, not even enough to riffle a jib, as the story and Rae's character wear thin.
– Rita Kempley,
Washington Post,
1 Jan 2000
fresh:
This is not a gimmick film ... and Kidman and Zane do generate real, palpable hatred in their scenes together.
– Roger Ebert,
Chicago Sun-Times,
1 Jan 2000
rotten:
"Dead Calm" ... becomes disturbing for all the wrong reasons.
– Caryn James,
New York Times,
20 May 2003
fresh:
A classic piece of pared-down genre film-making is lent extra depth by an emotional subtext stressing Kidman's transition from dependent wife to resourceful individual.
– Nigel Floyd,
Time Out,
26 Jan 2006
fresh:
Though not always entirely credible, Dead Calm is a nail-biting suspense pic [from the novel by Charles Williams] handsomely produced and inventively directed.