Last Breath Delivers Underwater Thrills and Icy, True Story Tension

In his narrative directorial debut, Alex Parkinson delivers a fun and easy tight-90 feature film remake of his own 2019 documentary. Last Breath follows the incredible true story of a deep-sea diving team as they race against time to save a crew member stranded at the bottom of the North Sea. After Chris Lemons’ (Finn Cole) umbilical cord severs during an underwater dive, Duncan Allcock (Woody Harrelson), Dave Yuasa (Simu Liu), and other crew members must risk their lives to locate him.

Last Breath stuns in terms of underwater cinematography and sound design, an area of expertise for its director. Much of the film appears visually similar to Parkinson’s 2019 documentary, and this goes a long way in crafting the captivating and daunting, alien world of the North Sea floor. The film exists in two different spaces, the deep sea, which feels almost like outer space, and the safety of the ship. The difference is visceral. Intentionally crafted color and light create the harsh reality of Lemons’ crisis and high grain shots familiarize us with the decay and inhospitality of the freezing ocean. The film’s beautiful soundscape is disorienting and enthralling, clunking and humming with the rush of the ocean and utter silence of Lemon’s isolation. The production and sound design are immersive and the films strongest attributes. For documentary lovers who are looking for aesthetically and tonally similar narrative adaptations, Last Breath delivers.

The film presents an accurate rendition of the true events that placed the life of young Lemons in peril. Last Breath’s pitfall may be its commitment to real-life accuracy, but we also praise it for this. The audience spends a good amount of recess with Allcock and Yuasa, helpless in their sub, unable to assist in the rescue effort. The two pass a significant amount of down-time waiting for the ship’s crew to navigate back to Lemon’s last-known location. Harrelson and Liu likely receive less screen time than anticipated, largely because their characters are forced to remain relatively passive during the hunt for Lemons. Despite that, Harrelson and Liu deliver solid performances within narrative limitations. Harrelson offers a reliable but familiar performance, crafting Allcock in his signature charming but rough around the edges style. Liu minimally but efficiently compliments Harrelson and Cole’s performances.

Last Breath establishes clear stakes and a riveting goal, and although many audience members may know the outcome of our characters’ dire mission, the film still delivers tension and gripping emotional pressure. It’s engaging without seeming repetitive and provides adequate nautical context to help viewers unfamiliar with the challenges of seafaring grasp the complexities of the rescue efforts.

Simultaneously, Last Breath falls a bit short with some flat dialogue and lack of character development. Most notably, Lemons’ finance Morag (Bobby Rainsbury) serves as an unfortunately flat and stereotypical female voice of reason and insight into the emotional landscapes of our male protagonists. Her limited role may be easily overlooked, but the film is still cursed with a few awkwardly placed and slightly cheap feeling moments of intimacy that do not delve deeply into her and Lemon’s relationship but rather serve as flimsy reminders of Lemon’s character and psyche. Morag’s woes feel a bit forced and exploited for the sake of developing a more emotive narrative that doesn’t quite achieve its desired impression. As Last Breath is primarily an action thriller, we can excuse these brief moments of overwrought emotion.

Overall, Last Breath is an exciting, fun, and immersive watch that does justice to the heroic stories of Chris Lemons and the crew members that raced to save his life. It is action packed, visually exciting, and sure to please diverse audiences seeking authentic, heartwarming excitement.

A.J. Weiler writes about culture and entertainment. You can find her on Medium and Muck Rack.