Run time: 94 mins

Sam Neill, Nicole Kidman and Billy Zane face off in a brilliantly tense thriller at sea.

A seemingly idyllic sailing trip becomes a fight for survival when a young stranger arrives claiming to be the sole survivor of a deadly disaster. Directed by Phillip Noyce, Dead Calm makes wonderfully claustrophobic use of its open-water setting, turning a remote stretch of ocean into a stage for an escalating battle of nerves.

Neill plays John Ingram, an experienced sailor who has taken his wife Rae (Kidman) out to sea as they recover from the loss of their young son. Their fragile peace is shattered when Hughie (Zane) rows across from a drifting yacht, telling a horrifying story of food poisoning.

But John suspects something is wrong. Investigating the abandoned vessel, he discovers evidence that Hughie’s story is far darker than it first appeared, only to return and find the stranger at the helm of his own yacht, with Rae at his mercy.

Neill brings quiet desperation, while Kidman is superb as Rae’s fear gives way to determination. Zane makes for an unforgettable antagonist, all oily charm and menace. Tightly wound and packed with suspense, this three-hander wrings maximum tension from its brilliantly simple setup