Last Breath (2025)

"Last Breath" stars Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu, Finn Cole, Cliff Curtis, and Mark Bonnar.  Releasing on February 28, 2025, the film has a deep-sea diving crew rescuing their member from the ocean's depths.
​
The film is directed by Alex Parkinson, who also directed the 2021 television movie "Lucy, the Human Chimp" and several television shows like "Fake or Fortune", "Primal Survivor", and "River Monsters".  It is a remake of the 2019 documentary film directed by Parkinson and Richard da Costa.  Being a deep-sea diver has its perks, like exploring the deepest depths of the ocean, but like most jobs, it also isn't without its share of dangers that come with this position.  One of them was portrayed in Alex Parkinson's documentary, which depicted a saturation diving accident in 2012 that left one of the divers stranded with no heat, oxygen, or light at their disposal.  While it thankfully didn't end in tragedy, it became one of the stories that leave us with a sense of determination and hope amid unexpected and troubling times.  Not only that, but it also reminds us of one of the occasions that could go wrong upon taking this job.  Six years after the documentary, Alex Parkinson returns to retell this similar story in a cinematic format that might leave audiences gasping for air.  Does it have enough suspense to accomplish the impossible, or are we better off staying away from the water?  Let's find out.

The story chronicles a team of seasoned deep-sea divers consisting of Duncan Allock (Harrelson), Dave Yuasa (Liu), and Chris Lemons (Cole).  Aboard their support vessel, the crew is tasked with carrying out repairs 100 meters below the surface of the North Sea.  However, during the repairs, the vessel's dynamic positioning system failed, causing the ship to drift and the umbilical tether holding Lemons to snap.  As a result, Lemons is left stranded at the bottom of the ocean with no heat and light accompanying him and only a few minutes of breathable gas left in his tanks.  This puts Duncan, David, and the remaining crew in a race against the clock to rescue Chris from the ocean's darkest depths.

Out of this weekend's weak but well-received selection of movies, "Last Breath" was the one that caught my attention the most.  The cast is one reason for my interest, especially Simu Liu, who continues to find ways to draw in a crowd outside of "Shang-Chi" and "Barbie".  However, it was also the concept that made me willing to check the film out.  "Last Breath" was my first exposure to the incident that almost ended in an underwater demise over a decade ago.  In fact, I didn't even realize that there was a documentary about it until I did some research on the movie.  While this true story offers another reason why I would never become a deep sea diver, it does intrigue me enough to watch the tale unfold, especially since I can't say no to a cinematic rescue mission.  

Regarding the narrative, "Last Breath" is another survival thriller that utilizes its fact-based story to represent the tale of resilience and miracles amid an unexpected incident.  Amid its 93-minute runtime, the movie depicts a group of divers who brave the obstacles to rescue their member from the ocean's depths and freezing temperatures.  Everybody loves an old-fashioned plot that gets their hearts pounding with anticipation and fear and provides hope through the characters' persistence against all odds.  But, of course, it all comes down to the movie's execution and whether it's worthy of bringing this intense incident to the big screen.  As it turns out, "Last Breath" is undoubtedly a fact-based film that'll make audiences believe in miracles.  However, it somehow lacks the consistent emotion of its storytelling to rise above its formulaic surface.

Film adaptations of documentaries are nothing new, as they use their cinematic finesses to reshape their real-life tales for audiences who don't feel like watching a series of interviews for a hundred minutes straight.  But, I rarely see a filmmaker behind the documentary return to direct a film version of the topic they previously explored.  Of course, I am talking about Alex Parkinson, a television director who revisited this incident previously told in his 2019 documentary.  I haven't watched the documentary, so I can't compare the two in terms of direction.  However, I will say that Parkinson didn't do too bad for his feature film debut.  Utilizing his knowledge and vision from his documentary, Parkinson instilled a sense of tension and anxiety into the scenario that's engrossing enough to grab my attention.  More importantly, he understood the fundamentals and even the risks associated with deep-sea diving, mainly from the darkness and loneliness that came from the bottom of the ocean.  They call it the most dangerous job in the world for a reason.  The underwater cinematography also effectively captured the vast emptiness and blackness of the ocean's bottom.

So, you can say that Alex Parkinson had the proper capabilities to explore the harrowing dangers of being a deep-sea diver.  Unfortunately, as a filmmaker, his vision didn't offer much else that we haven't seen in other fact-based movies, including ones from the survival genre.  Parkinson's approach to the film's tension was serviceable in maintaining my attention, but his storytelling struggled to provide much genuine sentimentality in its plot and characters to warrant most of the suspense presented.  This is due to its screenplay by Parkinson, Mitchell LaFortune, and David Brooks, which relied on its genre tropes to send itself drifting on autopilot, especially regarding its character depth.  The movie's short runtime was fitting for its straightforward plot, but at the same time, it also didn't leave much room for further exploration of its characters, including David's growing relationship with Chris.  It has some character moments that attempt to invoke emotion, but they fall short in combining it with its exciting suspense.  Its concept can be a heart-pounding and frighteningly fun experience for moviegoers. Sadly, Parkinson didn't quite have the proper mixture of survival thrills and character-driven narrative to make it more special than it should be.

In addition to its entertaining tension and underwater sequences, "Last Breath" benefitted from its decent cast, mainly the three main actors.  Despite the movie's tight yet mildly underwhelming script, the trio made the best of their talents to inject likability and charisma into the deep-sea diving crew.  Woody Harrelson has always been one of the actors who can instantly deliver an approachable aura in his performances, no matter which character he plays, which is one of the reasons for my interest in "Last Breath".  Unsurprisingly, Harrelson's performance as Duncan is no exception, as he conveyed a friendly presence in the aging diver, but also isn't without his dramatic chops backing him up.  Simu Liu goes for a more serious approach to his role of David compared to his previous roles, and the result is another diverting performance from the "Convenience" and "Shang-Chi" actor.  Finn Cole also did a pretty good job portraying Chris Lemons, the diver left stranded at the bottom of the ocean, which is nice considering his mixed filmography so far, including his role as the young Jakob Toretto in "F9".

Overall, "Last Breath" may not leave everyone breathless, but it has enough promising merits to make this rescue mission a diverting fact-based excursion.  Its tight yet formulaic storytelling may be fitting for its short runtime, but it also doesn't offer much in the tank to explore this risky endeavor and the movie's characters on an emotional level.  However, for those needing a short and straightforward drama thriller, the film delivered the necessary amount of oxygen to avoid drowning in the sea of familiar survival movies.  The main cast was undoubtedly decent in their performances, and Parkinson's approach to the film's tension and underwater sequences was serviceable for its entertainment values and suspense.  It's nothing too special regarding the survival thriller genre.  However, I was mostly pleased with how enjoyable it was, even though it doesn't do its true story justice with its cinematic essence.

C+