Survival thriller Last Breath chronicles the remarkable true story of a 2012 saturation diving (to put it as plainly as possible, these are the people responsible for maintaining and repairing the underwater gas pipelines) accident in the North Sea off the coast of Scotland that left British diver Chris Lemons (played in the film by Finn Cole) stranded 300 feet below sea level with limited oxygen for about 45 minutes before his team was able to rescue him. This is the kind of sturdy, straightforward film that would've gained a cult following solely off of weekend afternoon showings on TNT or USA 20 years ago. Director Alex Parkinson-who also co-directed a 2019 documentary of the same name on this subject-makes the film harrowing without taking any dramatic liberties that remove the film's grounded feel, the underwater photography from Nick Remy Matthews that captures both the horrifying, dark vastness and suffocating claustrophobia of the unique environment Lemons is stuck in is stunning and the cast-which also includes Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu and Cliff Curtis-nail the handful of big emotional moments that exist around the accident/rescue that makes up the majority of the efficient 93-minute runtime. Fact-based films that ultimately showcase the resilience of the human spirit and the incredible things we're capable of as a species when people work together in the face of tremendous adversity are always a beautiful thing to witness and Last Breath is definitely one of the more effective, moving ones released in recent years.
Grade: B
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