Last Breath Movie Review

Hint: Best experienced at the theater! What the people portrayed in this film do is one of the most dangerous jobs on the planet and if you’re a fan of a good thriller, this is a must-see.

They care for 20,000 miles of underwater pipeline. From the safety of the ship, you learn all the protocols and what doing their jobs entails. They jump into the dark, frigid water to repair anything damaged. Seeing what it takes to do this, I can’t fathom how it’s worth it. How do they take such risks? They get to be around people they respect, and those who appreciate them, and that’s all it takes. This is made very clear.

The movie is a thrilling seat gripper. Extremely intense. I was struggling not to leap into the screen to lend a hand. Had I known there was a documentary of the same name on the subject matter by the same director, Alex Parkinson, before watching “Last Breath,” I would have been tempted to see it. Luckily, I was unaware and didn’t know the result of this expedition. You should consider doing the same if you run across the documentary.

The about-to-retire, Duncan (Harrelson), is sent to the waters near Scotland with the about-to-marry rookie Chris (Finn Cole) and co-worker Dave (Simu Liu). They’re on an expedition in the North Sea to repair damaged pipe 300 feet below the ocean.

Before getting into the water, Chris speaks to Morag (Bobby Rainsbury), his distraught fiancé, allowing the audience to become fully invested, anxious, and worried about this team. There’s also a massive storm growing. The worried fiancé and the storm make it easy to figure out who will be in peril throughout this trip. Duncan is in the sub, and Chris and Dave go out. These people are dedicated, willing to do the dangerous job many aren’t, to keep things running smoothly. Conversation and smiles are over. Chris and Dave are in the water.

Once the storm gets rough above, there is a malfunction. The ship drifts off course a bit, and the umbilical cord (wires that connect the diver to the ship and his oxygen) is snapped. Chris is dragged into the massive, freezing-cold ocean. He’s alone. His single flare and his tiny voice calling out the other guys, to no avail, is hard to take. He’s scared, with reason to be, that he’ll never see Morag again. He has eight minutes’ worth of oxygen left. What to do?

I don’t want to tell you the actions taken to try and find him. Once they get the okay of the captain, played by Cliff Curtis, you won’t believe what they do, honestly… or how anyone lived through it. One attempt involves a rover. It gives you the willies. Sound is used well to deepen the creeps. Watching what Chris experiences is wildly emotional. It’s said that they’ve lost many men doing the job. They’re not usually found, but the things they’ve left behind on the ship are returned to loved ones in a shoebox. They refuse to let the memory of Chris be so small it fits in a box. The attempt to rescue him can be excruciating to watch. However, the effort is more important because he’s so young, and this is not how Duncan wants to go out.

The score is gorgeous and helps with your attachment to the storyline. The cinematography captures a world you’re not used to seeing so deep down that Chris is genuinely isolated; not even the critters are seen. The acting is worthy of the story being given to them to present. I know you’ll feel the same way, but I must now watch the documentary, that’s for sure.

The movie isn’t drawn out at only an hour and a half. It tells you what the team went through without being over the top in an unnecessary attempt to trill or horrify you. This is a visual delight, action-packed, and so well-made that you’ll feel as though you’re watching it all play out through a tiny window in the sub.

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