Last Breath

Imagine being one of three divers who volunteer to maintain gas lines three hundred feet below the sea. You would spend four weeks in a pressurized container, and you would be attached to an umbilical cord before plunging into the icy depths. But in this dramatization of a true story, one of the divers is trapped, and quickly running out of oxygen as the other two men team up with the group in charge of the operation in a race against the clock to rescue him. Director Alex Parkinson is already familiar with the real-life events, considering that he helped write the 2019 documentary of the same name. The result is an effective, ninety-minute white-knuckler.

Woody Harrelson plays Duncan, the seasoned leader of this three-man team, with co-stars Simu Liu and Finn Cole portraying Dave and Chris, the other two divers. The latter is the one who needs to be rescued–something that is established within the opening minutes, before we even see the title card. The first scene is one of a rare few that take place above water. Chris is shown with his fiancée (Bobby Rainsbury), attempting to comfort her before he leaves by comparing this new assignment to being an astronaut. As you might expect, this only concerns her even more and she makes him promise that he will return. From this moment, it becomes increasingly stressful waiting for this man to be in serious danger. Further reinforcing the dangerous nature of this operation are the facts about how deep these divers go, how long they will be gone, how small their transportation is, etc.

Once Chris gets stuck, Parkinson wisely builds tension by cutting between him, the other two divers, and the Captain and the crew in the ship above. As time passes, a ticking clock is introduced and keeps us informed of how much oxygen he has left, and the amount of time that is passing once he inevitably runs out. The filmmakers keep us in suspense for much of the runtime this way, and it’s undoubtedly inspiring seeing the teamwork and the bravery of the other divers who risk their lives. After the accident, Harrelson is intent on not losing Chris, taking extra precautions when Dave volunteers to go rescue him.

However, good drama needs more than surface-level character development. This element is sorely lacking here, with the script by Parkinson, Mitchell LaFortune and David Brooks providing the most information about Chris. As talented as the leads–particularly Harrelson–are, I was wishing that the film was a little longer and gave them more personalities. All we really know about them is that Harrelson is a seasoned diver who is about to retire, Cole has a worried woman back home, and Liu likes to exercise shirtless. The result is rather one-note characterizations not just with these three, but their superiors and arguably most importantly Rainsbury, who admirably does the best with what she is given. You would be hard-pressed to even remember their names, with the obvious exception being Chris because the others say his name so often. More rounded characters would have made us care about them more when they are in danger.

Despite this rather significant gripe, I do recommend seeing Last Breath. As mentioned, it tells a thrilling and inspiring story that mostly succeeds. I am always grateful when a film is a reasonable length, even if I wish it were a little longer. The characterizations may not have the most depth, but this production never drowns.

Rated PG-13

1 hour, 33 minutes