Rating 7/10
Imagine plunging into the pitch-black depths of the North Sea, where the only thing separating you from the crushing weight of the ocean is a fragile umbilical line supplying your air, heat, and communication. Now, picture that line snapping. This is the nightmare that becomes a nail biting reality in Last Breath.
Our account follows a team of divers performing high-risk maintenance on undersea gas lines; the operation is thrown into disarray when their vessel malfunctions and begins to drift away from the work site. The diving bell is likewise dragged, and diver Chris Lemons (Finn Cole) becomes ensnared in the deeply submerged structure. His lifeline to the surface is tragically severed. With only 10 minutes of emergency oxygen, Lemons must fight to stay alive as his colleagues—David Yuasa (Simu Liu) and Duncan Allcock (Woody Harrelson)—scramble to mount a race against the clock to locate and save him.
Last Breath is based on the harrowing true story of diver Chris Lemons’ 2012 accident. Initially chronicled in the similarly titled 2019 documentary co-directed by Alex Parkinson and Richard da Costa, this incident has now been adapted into an against-the-odds drama. Fascinated by the extreme conditions of deep-sea diving, Parkinson recognized the cinematic potential in Lemons’ experience. He collaborated with screenwriters Mitchell LaFortune and David Brooks to craft a gripping narrative that expands the event into a thriller while remaining faithful to its core survival tale.
This saga thrives on the primal fear of being trapped underwater. The tension is heightened by the cinematography that immerses us in the divers’ traumatic ordeal. Before they dive, we’re treated to the procedural aspects of the rescue mission. This adds authenticity, keeping the film compelling even when delving into meticulous, process-oriented tasks. The movie is straightforward in its execution, and refreshingly concise. Its aims are simple: to maintain high suspense and emotional stakes. And on that front, it succeeds at keeping viewers on edge until the very “last breath.”
03-04-25