Last Breath

What an amazing true story! I was blown away by the facts of what happened. Everything about it was absolutely terrifying, and the fact that almost nothing came from this afterwords is nothing short of a miracle. I never knew something like this was even possible until I looked up the possibility. The movie itself was done well, with a good amount of laughs and emotions being captured for what it is. Easy to connect and it brought you into a vision of what it was like. I would like to read more into the story and what facts they didnt include into the movie. Overall great movie and I suggest watching.

Watched at AMC on 3-4-2025.

While I keep hearing that the 2019 documentary (co-directed by Alex Parkinson, who also directs this) tackled the story a lot better, I like to think what works for and against the film is its 90-minute runtime. A story of this kind needs greater character establishment scenes and dialogue to make us really care for the lead(s) in underwater peril. That unfortunately isn't the case here as we dive into the core incident almost straight away, with time ticking fast. On the flip side, it maintains the thrill quotient all through by keeping things eventful and busy. The central performances (Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu, Finn Cole, and Cliff Curtis) are quite solid, plus the production design and visual effects are neatly done. The real-life footage at the end indicates the camaraderie between the men, which also made me want to see more of the documentary. It also made me think about the dangerous jobs that humans often sign up for.

Last Breath was Regal's latest mystery movie and boy, was it an intense viewing experience! I found myself taking deep breaths throughout as the tension mounted - as if to assure myself that I could still breathe (maybe it's an asthma thing). This movie tells the true story depicted in 2019's documentary of the same name. Things go wrong on a deep sea diving repair mission and a diver gets trapped on the bottom of the ocean as the rest of the people on the ship above (and in the bell beneath the surface) battle the elements and the clock in their efforts to rescue him. Woody Harrelson turns in a solid performance in here, as do his costars Simu Liu and Finn Cole. The movie is efficiently paced with zero fat on it at all (yet managing to feel so much longer than it really is, because of the stakes involved for the characters). Cinematography and score are impressive as well. Recommended. Video review on my Cyn's Corner YouTube channel.

LIKES: Great Cinematography Acting That Works An Inspiring Story Good Visual Effects Fantastic Sound Editing Integration Into the Process Believable With Just Enough Sheen Some Of The Scenes Come Together Perfectly Summary: For me, Last Breath is a very visceral movie in terms of the investment in the visual and sound effects to bring this tale to life. The film immerses you into the entire process of diving for maintenance, giving us detailed looks at the preparation of these brave patrons to venture into the depths of the sea. A stunning visual direction gives so much gravity to the scenes below, the encroaching darkness of the silent seabed a terror rivaling any beast that may lurk in its depths. Such direction pans through much of the movie, keeping everything in frame, combining elements that bring the surface and the depths together as they try to accomplish the impossible. Alongside the visuals is an equally impressive sound effect collection; the movie theaters unleash all the power of the ocean into surround sound goodness that further brings the experience to life. Crashing waves, blunt thumps, thunderous booms, and the strain of the ship are just some of the things you will get in this film as they roll through the theater quite loudly. It makes all the scenes worth the investment, each member and step to this rescue operation immensely detailed to help incorporate one into the movie to degrees I did not expect while keeping the reality present. Last Breath does have those Hollywood touches to make things exciting, pretty, or have that extra jeje; I never felt it strayed too far from being believable, which gets additional points in my book. This balance is a nice medium ground to make the film entertaining, but not to the point of corny, with some of the scenes coming together in that perfect amount to stimulate goosebumps or a tear in your eye like two audience members in my showing.

Regarding the acting and story, Last Breath exceeded my expectations from the trailers. It is a nice film that is there to inspire and amaze. While not the most original story, this film shows heroic efforts of teamwork, communication, and intelligence to handle an emergency, with fantastic speeches to further lift our character to the status of hero. What this team did is quite incredible, if not a tad heavy-handed, but it is certainly the pick-me-up movie to help shine light in what feels like a metaphorical darkness much of this movie takes place in. As for the acting, the cast director assembled a winning team for this film, with many of the leads perfect for the stalwart and unsure trailblazers. Cole is charming and vulnerable as he handles his new team and gives us the motivation to want to do this impossible feat. Liu still keeps to his reserved status: the warrior who doesn't punch so much as plan the job and see it to the end. It works in this case, a nice chemistry and changing dynamic that reminded me of his role in Arthur the King. Woody Harrelson is also surprisingly better than I thought, managing to break out of his usual Woody Harrelson antics enough to be different. A mentor like Haymitch, but not tied to the drink, this character had more moxie and heroism than the bitter drunkard. Though it is not the deepest, the chemistry among these actors was good, forming a unit that felt very geared towards an unorthodox brotherhood that is very in tune with the theme of the movie.

DISLIKES: Not The Most Thrilling For Me Felt A Little Rushed Not As Much Character Integration The Ending Seems Extra Overall, Okay Summary: Where the movie is a visual spectacle, the same can't be said for the full execution of this story. For one thing, the thrills of this movie are limited, either by desensitization or by understanding how the story is going to end. There is a timer that tries to set the mood with the visual tactics, but it soon crosses into a territory where something big has to happen to continue this journey. I did not feel the usual edge of survival or the engaging struggles that left me on the edge of my seat. Though you get a whole team experience in this process, the character integration is still not optimized. Many characters have their moments, but most of their names I don't remember because of how little they were ingrained into the story. As the movie continues on, there are those moments that feel immensely connected, but the ending becomes a bit of a boring mess as the epilogue shows the aftermath. Is it cool and heartwarming to see the real-life counterparts in their montage of life stories? Yes, it was. The part preceding that element was the part that I felt off about, a sort of pointless, simplified examination of some of the shared fears and hesitations that did little but extend the film. It's not horrible, but there had to be a better way, given all the things mentioned in the likes. When you factor these things together, the movie just feels sort of an okay film, the story more special than the film representing it.

The VERDICT: Last Breath is a movie that holds a lot of spirit and hope, something we need in the times we currently face. Its strengths are the visual prowess of the movie and the sound effects that accompany it to give you one of the closest dives to handling the dangers of the sea. Somehow, they found a way to make Hollywood magic and real life play nicely together, a film that feels accurate but not so entrenched in details to be a documentary or bland visual book. The acting is engaging and fun, the characters feel as realistic as the story, and they portray qualities I like to see in roles like these to stand against the often one-dimensional notes modern cinema chooses to follow. Despite these qualities, the movie is just not unique enough, outside one or two elements of the story. The thrills are minimal for me, knowing the things I know, and solutions came rather quickly and realistically to throw out some of the entertainment values. Alongside an ending that felt odd (much like my other recent review), the film just doesn't have as much shine as the trailers had me hoping for. Is this a movie? For the primary audience of drama/thriller to match films like The Perfect Storm and The Guardian, you should see this in theaters for the special effects prowess. Others will most likely enjoy this film the most at home, though, and that's where I recommend this film be seen. My scores for Last Breath are: Drama/Thriller: 7.0-7.5 Movie Overall: 7.0.

Back in 2019, director Alex Parkinson made a documentary about a deep-sea accident that happened in 2012, called LAST BREATH. He now has directed a feature film remake of that same accident, using the same name. It features "one of the most dangerous jobs on Earth", saturation divers who maintain undersea gas lines in the North Sea. The story revolves around a diving team as they begin a routine task: the salty Duncan (Woody Harrelson), the cold but focused David (Simu Liu), and the learning sponge Chris (Finn Cole). After an accident, one of them is left stranded with minutes of air left. It now comes down to a rescue or a recovery mission. I appreciated how the movie goes through the detailed process of the job. I also appreciated how Parkinson wasn't tempted to add things to make it a more entertaining movie, it would've felt inauthentic if he threw a random shark in the mix (unless it actually happened). I loved how realistic the lighting was on the seabed. It was dark AF, making you feel properly anxious and claustrophobic. The best parts of this movie are the moments of extreme tension. As the diver is losing air, you realize you also stopped breathing. LAST BREATH is a well-executed thriller that feels like a very "dad movie", if that makes sense. It has great acting and somewhat corny writing, but a had a great time. Remember, don't forget to breathe. It's a privilege.