Movie Review: Last Breath

At first glance, a narrative remake of an already dramatic documentary centered around the life-and-death struggles of three deep-sea divers might seem like an ill-conceived notion, but Alex Parkinson’s dramatic rendition of Last Breath somehow manages to not only capture, but heighten, the exhilaration of its predecessor and prove itself to be a fairly hefty thriller in its own right.

The story follows the exploits of a group of deep-sea divers who have been hired to repair the damaged portions of the miles of underwater pipelines hundreds of feet below the ocean’s surface. This particular job goes south when Finn (Chris Lemons) finds himself trapped in the depths of the ocean as his crewmates – Duncan (Woody Harrelson) and Dave (Simu Liu) – try desperately to save him before he runs out of oxygen.

Director Alex Parkinson does wonders adapting the 2019 documentary of the same title that he co-directed with Richard de Costa to a narrative-driven feature. Working from a script that he wrote alongside Mitchell LaFortune and David Brooks, based on the aforementioned documentary, Parkinson manages to make the struggle of essentially two men to save the life of another one of the more energetic and entertaining thrillers in recent memory.

Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu, and Finn Cole in “Last Breath.” Photo by Mark Cassar – © 2024 FOCUS FEATURES LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Interspersed with occasional underwater footage lifted from the documentary – or, at least footage recreated to look exactly like that of the documentary – the editing work of Tania Goding is on display here as a master class on creating dramatic tension with the magic of cutting between images and reaction shots while the haunting sounds of the ocean resonate throughout. Similarly, cinematography provided by Nick Remy Matthews gives the film less a feature-like quality and more of a documentary look that makes all of the actions onscreen all the more harrowing and immediate. All of this is punctuated by the often haunting score composed by Paul Leonard-Morgan.

While Lemons as Finn is ostensibly the main protagonist of the film, the dramatic weight of the story is instead shouldered by Woody Harrelson – as Finn’s friend and mentor – and Simu Liu – as his fellow diver. Not to mention the guidance of the narrative provided by the likes of Mark Bonnar (as Craig the Dive Supervisor), Cliff Curtis (Captain Andre Jenson), and MyAnna Buring (First Officer Hanna), all of which are given individual moments to take center stage and do their part to save Finn’s life.

The undercurrent of the importance of family and, as hokey as it may sound, love, gives Last Breath an emotional weight it might have been lacking otherwise and instead makes this one of the must-see thrillers of the young year.

• Bio
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Latest Posts

Mike Tyrkus

Editor in Chief at CinemaNerdz.com

An independent filmmaker, co-writer and director of over a dozen short films, the Editor in Chief of CinemaNerdz.com has spent much of the last three decades as a writer and editor specializing in biographical and critical reference sources in literature and the cinema, beginning in February 1991 reviewing films for his college newspaper. He was a member of the Detroit Film Critics Society, as well as the group's webmaster and one-time President for over a decade until the group ceased to exist. His contributions to film criticism can be found in Magill's Cinema Annual, VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever (of which he was the editor for nearly a decade until it too ceased to exist), the International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, and the St. James Film Directors Encyclopedia (on which he collaborated with editor Andrew Sarris). He has also appeared on the television program Critic LEE Speaking alongside Lee Thomas of FOX2 and Adam Graham, of The Detroit News. He currently lives in the Detroit area with his wife and their dogs.

@miketyrkus

Mike Tyrkus

Latest posts by Mike Tyrkus (see all)

• Box-Office Weekend: Captain America Remains #1 - February 23, 2025
• Box-Office Weekend: Captain America Takes Over - February 16, 2025
• Box-Office Weekend: Dog Man Stays on Top - February 9, 2025