1989 Dir: Phillip Noyce 96mins
Based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Charles Williams, this is a film Orson Wells tried to make in the late 1960s that, once finally made by Phillip Noyce in 1989, launched both Billy Zane’s and Nichole Kidman’s career (way back when she was still a ginger.) It’s a nail-biting suspense film cleverly blending the confines of a boat with the wide expanses of the sea.
Kidman and Sam Neil are on a sailing holiday in the Pacific, (actually filmed on the Great Barrier Reef) recovering from the death of a child when they come across a stricken tall ship that is slowly sinking. Neil goes to investigate once Billy Zane has rowed over to them explaining that that the whole crew died of food poisoning. Neil discovers that it was probable that Zane has killed the entire crew but by then he has taken command of their yacht and kidnaps Kidman leaving Neil to follow. What follows is a suspense chase thriller with the three of them pitting their wits against each other and the sea. Zane’s increasingly unhinged character won him critical acclaim and the film was a box office success even though there are some “sailor’s bloopers” that probably weren’t spotted by the public at large. GV
Trailer: