Last Breath

Starring: Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu, Finn Cole, Cliff Curtis, Mark Bonnar, Bobby Rainsbury, Josef Altin, MyAnna Buring
Directed by: Alex Parkinson
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama, Thriller
2025

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: An undersea diver (Finn Cole) is trapped at the bottom of the ocean with no oxygen. His two colleagues (Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu) embark on a dangerous mission to save him.

Review:

Tim: Honestly, I'm a bit surprised that I didn't like Last Breath more. Oh, sure, it's a solid, decent film. It tells a stunning true story and it features an effective cast. It honestly feels like the issues come from director Alex Parkinson. Now, I know he directed the documentary upon which this film was based, so perhaps no one was better versed in this story. I think it's his limitations as a director that held this movie back. I don't mean for this to be a hit piece on him- he still directs a decent film. It's just odd that the movie isn't better.

Last Breath benefits from a wild true story that most viewers will not be familiar with. I had no idea this event took place. It takes us to a wonderfully intense, claustrophobic, frightening place- the bottom of the ocean. Now, we're not talking the true "bottom", but these divers need to go deep beneath the waves to repair an undersea pipe. This is immediately interesting and suspenseful. We intuitively know humans were never meant to go this far beneath the surface of the water. However, as this all unfurls, I was surprised that I didn't feel more intensity, most nerves. I watched this movie oddly disconnected. I was interested in the story, but the way it was filmed, Parkinson never creates the intensity or impact that the movie needed. It was so odd, to watch this film and know how I should be feeling, and yet, not feeling any of those emotions. I was strangely uncaring about these men or their plight. The whole thing felt small. There's not a building sense of urgency, even when the situation calls for it. The use of editing, sound, visual effects- these things don't amplify the story. The narrative kind of moves forward and we're not invested nearly enough.

Some of this likely comes from a slight lack of character development. Now, we definitely do get scenes early on explaining who these characters are and some of their motivations. We get to know them. But, even with strong actors in these roles, it felt like a lack of emotional connection existed. I think this likely had to do with the script, maybe some of the direction. The movie is short- only 1 hour, 33 minutes. I do believe even a few minutes of additional time with these characters might have helped some. When they eventually are put in harm's way, we might have felt more tension, more excitement, more nervous for them.

The cast is solid. I love Woody Harrelson, and although he doesn't get a lot to do, he still manages to give a wonderfully charismatic performance. He feels mostly sidelined, though. He's just sitting for most of the film. I like Simu Liu, but his performance left me a bit cold. I know he's a stoic, restrained character, but I wished he did more to connect with the audience. He has a nice role, but he feels like an afterthought. Finn Cole is okay in the main protagonist role. I recognized he gave a good performance, but something about him just turned me away. I never really cared about his character. I've been puzzling over this, trying to understand what it was. I don't think he gave a bad performance, but I never felt much about him on screen. These three do get a few nice scenes together, so that was a plus for the movie. It was also great seeing Cliff Curtis, but sadly, his role is surprisingly unimportant.

I didn't think the visual effects were all that impressive. This feels like a small movie without much budget. The underwater scenes are obviously dark, but the darkness isn't used effectively. It doesn't feel claustrophobic when they are in the submarine, and the nearly infinite ocean doesn't overwhelm us with its size. I think the way the film was shot, the framing could have been used more effectively. I do also wonder if Parkinson's work on the documentary hurt his ability to tell this story in fiction form. The whole movie feels somewhat detached- almost like a documentary, just pointing the camera and showing us what it sees. That's fine for a documentary that needs to be somewhat objective. But, for a fictionalized film like this, we need a stronger presence. This isn't about detachment, it's about building connection, intensity, thrills. That's what the movie needed more of. I couldn't help but think of Apollo 13, a very similar movie in many ways. I know it's not fair to compare Parkinson to the great Steven Spielberg, but that movie took an event we all knew how it ended, and it ratcheted the intensity up to a "10". That movie engaged us, allowed the characters to breath and establish connection with the audience. On Parkinson's best day, he likely couldn't have achieved what Spielberg did. But, if he'd gotten 25% of the way there, this movie would have been more thrilling, more engaging, and better for it.

Now, Last Breath isn't a bad movie. I enjoyed it and I believe it's a decent watch. I had no idea that this happened, and the ending is still so shocking that it feels fictional. I wish the movie explored that more, because it's almost beyond belief. I left the movie feeling like I still had so many questions. This movie tells the story decently, but I think there's a reason it was released in theaters in February and accounted for $21 million domestically. It's okay, but not nearly as good or memorable as it needed to be.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Apollo 13, Underwater, The Abyss