Phillip Noyce

Noyce directed Patriot Games in 1992 and Clear and Present Danger in 1994, both starring Harrison Ford as CIA analyst Jack Ryan. The first centers on a terrorist attack in London, while the second involves Colombian drug cartels and a covert operation. ([Paramount Pictures](https://www.paramountpictures.com/movies/patriot-games))

Dead Calm, released in 1989, follows John and Rae Ingram, played by Sam Neill and Nicole Kidman, as they encounter a dangerous stranger while sailing far from land. Much of the tension comes from the isolated yacht and the surrounding ocean. ([National Film and Sound Archive of Australia](https://www.nfsa.gov.au/collection/item/dead-calm-two-men-two-boats-one-woman))

Rabbit-Proof Fence, released in 2002, follows Molly, Gracie, and Daisy, three Aboriginal girls forcibly removed from their families in 1931. They escape Moore River and begin a roughly 1,600-kilometre journey home, based on Doris Pilkington Garimara's account. ([Screen Australia](https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/screen-guide/rabbit-proof-fence-14493/))

His first full-length feature was Backroads in 1977, followed by Newsfront in 1978. Newsfront won the Australian Film Institute's Best Film award and helped establish Noyce before his move into Hollywood thrillers. ([National Portrait Gallery of Australia](https://www.portrait.gov.au/people/phillip-noyce-1950))