The film was one of the final projects Nicole Kidman worked on in her native Australia before achieving mainstream international success with 1990's "Days of Thunder". "Dead Calm" was generally well received, with critics praising Neill, Kidman, and Zane's performances and the oceanic cinematography, although some reviewers criticized elements of the script for being too sensational and the film's ending (Warner Brothers requested that it be reshot to provide a less ambiguous resolution for one of the characters) for being too over-the-top. Modern reviewers have tended to assess it even more favorably, with "The New York Times" naming it one of the 1000 best films ever made.