Overview
A couple's sailing trip turns into a nightmare on the open sea, where trust is tested and danger lurks.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Brutal
- foreboding
- claustrophobic
- tense
- stormy night
- marathon of psychological thrillers
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film's sustained nautical tension, Nicole Kidman's intense performance, and Phillip Noyce's muscular direction, while some found the final act over-the-top.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The yacht and surrounding Pacific waters restrict movement while the couple confronts a dangerous stranger.
John and Rae undertake the sailing trip to cope with the death of their young son in a car accident.
Hughie Warriner arrives as the lone survivor of a shipwreck before revealing himself as a lethal and manipulative intruder.
Quiet, peaceful waters and expansive sea imagery become the backdrop for pursuit, isolation, and violence.
Films like Dead Calm, and why
The Shallows
shared isolated maritime setting, psychological suspense, and escalating survival tension
Knife in the Water
shared confined waterborne setting, predatory stranger, and claustrophobic psychological thriller structure
Cape Fear
shared home-invasion intensity, antagonist-driven dread, and threatened domestic stability
Movie Details
- Director
- Phillip Noyce
- Release Date
- 1989-04-07
- Runtime
- 96 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (864)
Cast
- Nicole Kidman
- Sam Neill
- Billy Zane
- George Shevtsov
- Rod Mullinar
- Joshua Tilden
- Michael Long
- Lisa Collins
- Paula Hudson-Brinkley
- Sharon Cook
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Howdy Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Dead Calm about?
- A grieving Australian couple’s restorative yacht voyage becomes a brutal contest of seamanship and survival when a seemingly helpless shipwreck survivor boards their isolated vessel.
- What is Dead Calm like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Dead Calm as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Dead Calm violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Dead Calm as brutal.
- What did critics think of Dead Calm?
- Critics broadly praised the film's sustained nautical tension, Nicole Kidman's intense performance, and Phillip Noyce's muscular direction, while some found the final act over-the-top.
- Which films are like Dead Calm?
- Films with a similar feel include The Shallows, Knife in the Water, and Cape Fear.
- How long is Dead Calm?
- Dead Calm runs 96 minutes.
- Where can I watch Dead Calm?
- In United States, Dead Calm streams on Howdy Amazon Channel.
