Last Breath is a perfectly serviceable but oddly lifeless dramatisation of a harrowing real-life diving incident. Alex Parkinson, who also co-directed the documentary version, brings attention to detail but fails to convey any sense of jeopardy or urgency. Every expected beat is dutifully ticked off, from the futility of the mission to the swelling score, but the tension is sorely lacking. Despite the cast giving it a decent go, the whole thing feels inert, flatly directed and choppily edited. Functional, but far from gripping.
This review may contain spoilers. This is an enjoyable and gripping survival/rescue thriller based on a true story about a deep sea diver who becomes trapped deep under the North Sea and quickly runs out of oxygen. The ending of course is never in doubt from the get go mainly because this is based on a documentary about the actual event and these narratives invariably have the required happy ending. So it's no plot spoiler to reveal all ends well. And we get there in a reasonably tight runtime which is ample here to tell this tale. A three man dive team are sent down for essential repair work. The leader stays in the diving bell while two of them, Chris (Finn Cole) and Dave (Simu Liu) head down to the seabed. As is often the case a raging storm on the surface causes problems and during their attempt to get back into the bell Chris' air supply cables get trapped and broken and he gets left behind with only ten minutes of air supply left. The film plays out the desperate attempts to get to him. Woody Harrelson plays the team leader and I can't help think he's here to give the film a reasonably big name because he has very little to do. The film adds some flashbacks to add some emotional depth but overall it's a watchable film with an interesting story. The opening shot of the trapped diver in the murky waters is a moving one especially as this is a picture of the real Chris at the moment he was found.
The casting is good as is the acting, but the film lacks real excitement and action. It just about holds the attention of the viewer but don't expect many thrills.