(You know how they say “never pick up hitchers on the side of the road?” Well, same goes for the open sea…)
CAST: Sam Neill, Nicole Kidman, Billy Zane.
DIRECTOR: Phillip Noyce
WARNING: Some SPOILERS and strong arguments for never ever ever ever ever ever picking up seafaring hitchers - straight ahead…
As I’ve mentioned many times before, one of my favorite “misunderstood” films is the 1993 thriller SLIVER. The novel by Ira Levin was about a Manhattan book editor who is seduced into a world of voyeurism and murder after moving into a sleek highrise that is filled with secret video cameras. The book was a huge hit upon its publication in 1991, and it was a no-brainer that it would follow Levin’s previous works onto the silver screen. Some of Levin’s past novels that were turned into films include ROSEMARY’S BABY, THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL, THE STEPFORD WIVES, and A KISS BEFORE DYING. Not exactly clunkers, eh? Well… maybe A KISS BEFORE DYING could’ve been a little better. But, hey… Levin’s still sporting a more-than-good batting average, right?
As pre-production moved forward on SLIVER, one promising sign after another materialized: (1) Sharon Stone, hot off BASIC INSTINCT, was cast as controlled-but-vulnerable book editor Carly Norris; (2) William Baldwin, hot off BACKDRAFT, was cast as her sexy-but-potentially deadly love interest, Zeke Hawkins; (3) the New Age group Enigma would compose some of the film’s score, to include a couple of tracks devoted to Stone’s character Carly: “Carly’s Song” and “Carly’s Loneliness”; and (4) the most promising sign of all: Aussie director Phillip Noyce was hired to direct.
Why was this last bit so great? Easy. Noyce directed the 1989 Sam Neill-Nicole Kidman chiller DEAD CALM. For anyone who has seen DEAD CALM, that’s pretty much all I need to say. For anyone who has not seen it, I say: “Really? Are you kidding?” And then I would say, “DEAD CALM is an awesome classic thriller. What are you waiting for?” Bottom line: if anyone could turn SLIVER into a classic thriller, it was Noyce. DEAD CALM was such a tense, riveting, scary, atmospheric journey into darkness and survival, that imagining the possibilities for SLIVER under his helm was sublime.
Unfortunately, as well all know by now, SLIVER didn’t turn into the classic thriller I’d hoped for. The major reason for this was the studio compromising Noyce and writer Joe Eszterhas’s (BASIC INSTINCT) vision for SLIVER. While the novel was a straightforward thriller with erotic overtones, they decided to turn the film into more of a dark romance chronicling reserved book editor Carly Norris' journey to the dark side of love - and her decision not to return.
In fact, SLIVER’s controversial original ending (Carly discovering Zeke is actually the killer - and staying with him anyhow) is what prompted the studio to scramble up a new one to satisfy audiences who just weren’t interested in moral ambiguity. Noyce and Stone preferred the original ending, and if the studio had the balls to support them and their vision, SLIVER would’ve been a much more eerie, memorable, and sinister thriller - and better remembered than it is.
DEAD CALM, on the other hand, enjoys a much more favorable reputation. Like SLIVER and it's sleek tower buidling, DEAD CALM is also set in a very confined location: two boats floating in the middle of the Pacific. On one boat, we have John Ingram (Sam Neill) and his wife Rae (Nicole Kidman). John is an officer in the Australian Navy, and is taking time off to cruise the high seas with Rae - who, shall we say, has issues.
You see, not too long ago, John and Rae’s young son was killed in a car accident - with Rae driving. Rae barely survived herself, and since then has been recovering from her ensuing nervous breakdown. John and the doctors hope that a quiet cruise in the Pacific is just what she needs to get back on her feet. Oh, how wrong they are…
You see, the occupant of the other boat I mentioned is Hughie Warriner (Billy Zane), a loony American who is apparently the sole survivor of mass food poisoning that killed all of his shipmates, a bunch of bimbo/model wannabes and their skeezy photographer. When Hughie spots John and Rae’s ship on the horizon, he understandably chooses not to hang out with his pal’s corpses anymore - and skedaddles on out of there in a dinghy.
John and Rae, being warm and classy Aussies, extend a big welcome to the jibbering Hughie. He tells them his story about the food poisoning and how grateful he is that they just happened to sail by. Otherwise, who knows what he would’ve done to stay alive. Which bring an interesting, if also very disgusting, question to my mind: if you eat the corpse of someone who died from food poisoning - would you die from food poisoning yourself? Hmmmmmm……
Whatever. After storytelling hour, Hughie retires to his cabin. Rae, being a sensitive and sweet person, sympathizes with Hughie’s ordeal. John, on the other hand, being a career Naval officer, knows bullshit when he smells it. He decides to take the dinghy back to the other boat and investigate, and see if Hughie is on the up-and-up. Or if he and Rae are dealing with a seafaring version of Charlie Manson.
What will John find on the other boat? Did Hughie’s shipmates actually die from food poisoning? Or something else? What is Hughie hiding? What does he have planned for his rescuers? Will John and Rae survive their encounter with him? Will Rae continue to be a trembling wuss? Or will she nut up and fight back to keep her and her man alive? What happens when Hughie tries to put the moves on her? Does he actually think he can compete against a guy who is a Naval Officer and also looks like Sam Neill?
Silly bastard. Sam Neill is The Hotness…
BUT, SERIOUSLY: I remember the first time I saw DEAD CALM back in 1990. I remember thinking, “this is a perfect thriller.” And it actually does come very close. One of this film’s major assets is how visceral and raw it feels. In our recent review for BLACK WIDOW (review # 259) we talked about how thrillers are meant to thrill - and thrills are an emotional response. Director Phillip Noyce understands that and uses his considerable suspense techniques to elicit gut reactions from us and his actors.
He also manages the neat trick of having an open ocean setting feel clammy and claustrophobic. The atmosphere Noyce creates for DEAD CALM is one that is almost another character in the film: thick, oppressive, ominous. It’s enough to give you pause before going sailing on the open ocean. Hitchcock would’ve been proud of Noyce’s thriller skills.
But as accomplished a suspense director as Noyce is, he would be adrift without his trio of wonderful stars. Sam Neill, Nicole Kidman, and Billy Zane are all perfectly cast. Neill is someone I have always thought of as the “thinking person’s hunk.” He’s hypnotically-gorgeous but also has considerable depth, intelligence, and range to him. He’s been the bright spots in many films, and his performance here is no exception. He turns John Ingram into the kind of guy you would want by your side in an emergency, the kind that is always the first one there for you when the chips are down. John’s cool-but-soulful manner is a great match for Rae’s vulnerability. He likes to protect, and she needs the protection - at least, at first.
Speaking of Rae, she is easily one of the most intriguing heroines in the Thriller Genre. Right up there with Ellen Ripley from ALIEN, Clarice Starling in THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, and Helen Hudson from COPYCAT. Like all these ladies - yes, even Ripley - Rae has a very vulnerable side, and this is what we see in the beginning when she’s trying to recover from the tragic death of her son. But, as the old saying goes: “stormy seas test character.” This literally happens in DEAD CALM: Rae’s struggles to save not only John but also herself from Hughie’s psychosis is what uncovers the core of steel within her character. Nicole Kidman made her mark with this role, and she deservedly went on to international stardom because of it. Truly, a star was born.
As the third point of the triangle, Billy Zane brings a manic energy and scary intensity to the role of Hughie Warriner. In some scenes, Hughie comes across as soulful and lost, but in others he is icy, calm, and calculating. And then in others he is explosive and raging. it’s this chameleon-like, unpredictable quality of the character’s that Zane perfectly taps into. Zane keeps you guessing with his performance, and we feel the same push-pull of sympathy for Hughie - even when it becomes clear that he is one messed-up individual.
In the end, DEAD CALM is a classic thriller that succeeds because of its gifted cast and director. It’s a shame that SLIVER didn’t turn out the same way…
