In an era of “real-life” movies that exaggerate the facts beyond recognition, it’s bracing to see a straightforward, unembellished tale that genuinely merits its opening statement: “This is a true story.”
Yet despite a low-key approach to the undersea rescue of one single stranded diver — or perhaps because of that — Last Breath is almost unbearably suspenseful.
Indeed, this is a virtually perfect film — top-of-the-line in every department: acting, photography, script, music, visual effects… And as for the editing: You gotta love a thriller that clocks in right around 90 minutes.
Personally, I don’t think I could’ve stood it much longer.
It was 2012, and Scottish diver Chris Lemons was part of a team sent to repair a pipeline 300 feet down in the churning North Sea. Led by a furious storm on the surface, a chain of circumstances conspired to sever Lemons’ air-hose; he was left alone and breathless in the dark, as his diving partner — along with their bell connecting to their ship — got swept out of range when the vessel lost its navigational controls.
Almost at once, the movie’s subtitles began indicating how many minutes the young husband-to-be had gone without oxygen; and I was already squirming in my seat — because the film was less than half over!
The excellent cast includes Woody Harrelson as an older diver manning the bell, and a terrific Simi Liu (of Marvel’s Shang-Chi) as Lemons’ undersea partner. But even the smaller parts are played to perfection. I particularly loved Cliff Curtis as the ship’s captain; Josef Altin as a tech whiz on the bridge; and Bobby Rainsbury, who really leaps to life in her few brief scenes as Lemons’ fiancée.
Paul Leonard-Morgan’s score is exciting and effective, and Last Breath employs two cinematographers — the second on hand for underwater work. The film’s above-the-surface scenes are especially handsome — almost like a travelogue at times.
Yet the real star here is director and co-writer Alex Parkinson, who just happens to have handled those very tasks on the same-named documentary from 2019. I’m sure that’s why he was determined not to mess with this story and add a bunch of junk that never really happened.
The PG-13 script by Parkinson & co. is quite family friendly, with just a sprinkling of swear-words — one of which occurs in some comical real-life footage before the closing credits.
The screenplay likewise has two other great strengths: fascinating info (for clueless folks like me) about how these dangerous dives are conducted; and also, the opening scenes with Lemons’ love really add pathos and urgency to his struggle for survival.
Speaking of which: I’m sure you’re wondering whether I plan to finish this review without revealing what finally happened. Of course, I can’t do that — but I can state with considerable certainty that you won’t be sorry you saw this film.
The outcome left me frankly gob-smacked — and it’ll do the same for you … unless you already know the story.
In which case, you’ll probably want to see it anyway.
