Last Breath is a heart-pounding true story about deep sea divers that are tasked to perform maintenance on the underwater gas pipes in the North Sea in Europe. All goes well until main protagonist Chris Lemons is stranded at the bottom of the ocean for 30 minutes without oxygen.
Let me tell you, this movie was scary. And no, I don’t mean the spooky monsters or jump scares. The pure vastness and darkness of the bottom of the ocean was enough to make me shiver. They say that we know more about space than we do about our ocean. After watching this movie, I would believe them.
During a routine saturation dive off the coast of Scotland in 2012, Chris Lemons, portrayed by Finn Cole, was detached from the ship and was lost at the bottom of the sea for close to 40 minutes. Diving mates Duncan Allcock (Woody Harrelson) and Dave Yuasa (Simu Liu) have to act fast in order to rescue him. The divers spend weeks in a tin chamber that pressurizes so that the divers can acclimate to the pressure 300 feet below the surface. The divers then drop further down in a “bell” which they are attached to with a cord. During a dive, the weather got so bad that the ship that was housing the divers drifted off course causing the bell to also move. Chris’ cord got stuck on the structure they were working on and snapped. With everyone working together, Dave was able to dive back down and rescue him after almost 40 minutes with no oxygen.
Tons of experts say that it is a miracle that Chris survived that long without oxygen and furthermore sustained no major physical or mental injuries.
I knew very little when going into Last Breath. I didn’t even know the story or that there was already a documentary on this event that was made in 2019. I am always wary of these types of remakes. Was this movie necessary when the documentary already has an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.7/10 on IMDb? My opinion -“kind of”. I feel like there is an audience that really loves documentaries and those that really don’t. Then there are people that love movies that are based on true stories and then an audience that hates it. I was torn somewhere in the middle.
I haven’t seen the documentary so take my opinion with a grain of salt; however, I did enjoy Last Breath the movie. I really think both the storytelling and the acting was on par. Woody Harrelson (Hunger Games, Zombieland, Now You See Me) did an excellent job at portraying the older mentor diver while Simu Liu (Shang Chi, Barbie) and Finn Cole (Peaky Blinders, F9) were great as the other crew members.
What Last Breath did differently that I really appreciated was showing how the divers actually live when they go on the boat and into the pressurized chamber. They did this by shooting the movie from a security camera that was inside the can for a few scenes. I think that added to the effect. Imagine living inside a tin can that is on a boat in the middle of the ocean, and you can literally step outside if you open a door? Freedom would be so close but unachievable due to the pressure. This is one thing I wish they explained better in the film. Some people know that someone needs to be accustomed to the pressure or else they might get sick. However, this wasn’t clearly stated in the movie and if it was, I definitely missed it. I feel like some people may have gotten confused by that.
Final Thoughts
I didn’t mind Last Breath. I think it was fine for what it was with some solid performances by well-known actors. I didn’t know about the story, so it definitely kept me on the edge of my seat at some points, especially when Chris was stuck for almost 40 minutes. After seeing this, I am intrigued to watch the documentary as it may provide a little more explanations and actual interviews from the divers themselves.
3/5
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Watching movies to me, is like entering another world. Some people can sit down and watch a 2 hour long film but others prefer to binge watch a tv show that has 40 minute long episodes. For me, well I love both. I am a huge fan of fantasy movies such as Lord Of The Rings, Star Wars and Harry Potter, though I tend to stray to different genres here and there, mainly historical dramas and 80s slashers. When I am not watching movies, I’m either at the gym, the mountains, or working as a veterinary technician.
MY FAVORITE MOVIES: Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, There Will Be Blood, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, The Last of the Mohicans, Schindler's List