"Less is more" and "keep it simple, stupid" are principles that have almost disappeared from modern Hollywood. This is most obvious in modern thrillers, which almost exclusively rely on convoluted Byzantine plots, spectacular gimmicks or star power – all at the expense of traditional storytelling. On the other hand, thrillers that work are usually those that try to create suspense in the most simple ways possible, using something that audience can imagine and relate to in real life. Hollywood has all but forgotten this lesson, and it isn't surprising that one of the best thrillers in past few decades wasn't American. Dead Calm, 1989 Australian thriller directed by Philip Noyce, unfortunately didn't translate its effectiveness into enthusiasm among critics nor great commercial success, thus becoming one of the most underrated films of the period.
Terry Hayes' script for Dead Calm is based on the novel by Charles Williams (which Orson Welles tried to adapt for screen in late 1960s until the death of his principal actor Laurence Harvey). Protagonist is John Ingram (played by Sam Neill), career naval officer whose young wife Rae (played by Nicole Kidman) has suffered tragic accident and lost her son. The couple tries to recuperate by going to the long ocean cruise with their yacht. One day they spot mysterious black schooner on the horizon and soon their ship is boarded by Hughie Warriner (played by Billy Zane), near-hysteric young man who claims that he is sole survivor of food poisoning. While Hughie sleeps, John, suspicious about some details in Hughie's story, decides to board schooner and investigate. When he arrives there, he realises that Hughie's shipmates didn't die from food poisoning. He desperately tries to get back on the yacht in order to warn Rae, but it is too late - Hughie, who turns out to be murderous psychopath, has awaken and taken control of the yacht, leaving him stranded on slowly sinking ship. While John uses all his ingenuity and experience to keep the schooner afloat, Rae must use hers in order to stay alive and reunite with his husband.
Simplicity is the key word for Dead Calm, and the simplicity reflects in almost every aspect of film - setting, number of characters, their choices and methods of solving problems. Apart from prologue (which could have been easily left on the cutting room floor), the entire film takes place on sea in relatively short period of time. There are only three major characters and for the most part the only important issue is reuniting between two spouses. All other things - why Ingrams decided to take long cruise, why Rae ended with the man at least fifteen or twenty years older than herself, why Hughie decided to do what he did, what his background was - are of secondary importance and trying to answer those questions would only make film less focused and less effective. Just like Ridley Scott in Alien, Noyce creates suspense by reminding audiences of the fragility, both psychological and physiological, of human beings. This fragility becomes apparent in situations when people are deprived of regular food, hospital care, law enforcement and all other civilisation advances we usually take for granted. In those situations cold, heartless and unpredictable nature of the universe becomes apparent and our protagonists have very few options for survival; in the process, they can rely only on their ingenuity and character and they must discard some moralistic and humane scruples they would otherwise keep in normal world.
Dead Calm is effective, but also a very dark thriller. Traffic accident scene at the beginning sets the atmosphere very well and the reminds the audience of the arbitrary way fate deals with people regardless of their moral alignment. Dead Calm has its share of violence, gore and the nudity that appears in this film is un-erotic as possible. What makes this film bearable is Noyce's ironic vision of the world where worst horrors appears in places of greatest possible beauty. The setting is made of sea which is calm, a yacht which is embodiment of elegance and some of Hughie's victims used to be beautiful women. All that is captured by Dean Semler's excellent photography. The acting is also great - Sam Neill is perfectly cast and professional and dependable man, whose mere absence is going to put the heroine in unimaginable peril. Nicole Kidman, who looks less than glamorous in one her earlier roles, is also very effective as woman who must go through quick transformation from emotionally shattered accident victim and helpless hostage to someone who takes active approach in order to survive. Billy Zane, whose later career is going to be less than stellar, is also very convincing as a psychopath whose outward appearance and boyish charm could have fooled his victims.
Dead Calm could have been even better if not for at times annoying Graeme Revell's music, but the real reason why it isn't perfect could be seen in the ending. Film pays too heavy price for trying to stick with Hollywood genre "rules" - "dead man returning" finale is not only predictable, annoying but also totally at odds with the rest of the film; it brings some practical plot questions film makers didn't or couldn't answer. However, even with this burden, Dead Calm works as great thriller and this is perhaps the greatest achievement of its makers.
RATING: 8/10 (+++)
(Note: The text in its original form was posted in Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.films.reviews on November 14th 2003)
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