Some jobs are inherently dangerous. Individuals who work in law enforcement, the military, firefighting, etc., take a risk every time they do their jobs. Although I guess one could say that about almost any job, from teacher to sanitation worker. However, those who dive, whether for work or pleasure, don't often think of it as dangerous, even though they are below the water using tanks on their backs for breathing.
Saturation diving though, is a little more dangerous than most dives as the divers are often at least 100 meters down. Still, there aren't often accidents, but for Chris Lemons (Finn Cole), an accident that left him without oxygen for over 30 minutes is exactly what happened in October of 2012. Last Breath, based on the 2019 documentary, fictionalized the events of that day.
Saturation diving is when three people live in a metal tube full of a hydrogen/oxygen mix for four weeks at a time. They move to a dive bell full of the same gaseous mixture and are lowered down 90 meters into the ocean. Then two of the three divers are suited up and tethered to an umbilical cable that gives them air, electricity, and warmth while they spend six hours at the bottom of the sea repairing pipelines.
Chris Lemons was one of those divers when the ship above them lost its dynamic position (DP) system and quickly drifted away from the dive site. With no slack left, his umbilical cable snapped, and he was left on the sea floor with no heat, light, or air. Over thirty tense minutes later, Chris was back in the bell, breathing and responsive. According to medical professionals, there is no reasonable way he could have survived an ordeal like that, but he did and seemingly without any physical or mental losses.
Last Breath stars Woody Harrelson (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), Simu Liu (Barbie), and Finn Cole as the three divers-Duncan Allock, Dave Yuasa, and Chris Lemons, respectively-who lived through that harrowing experience. The three actors have an easy rapport that makes their camaraderie believable. Mark Bonnar (Unforgotten) plays the dive supervisor, and Cliff Curtis (Colombiana) portrays the ship's captain who tries to get the ship back on course while his crew attempts to fix the DP system. The rest of the cast are rather insignificant.
Director Alex Parkinson, who also directed the 2019 documentary, builds the drama and suspense with impactful visuals, some of which directly mimic those from the real footage used in the documentary. These images are enhanced by the 1080p video resolution of the Blu-ray. To make the underwater scenes even more realistic, they were filmed in the saltwater film tank in Malta, where one can see all manner of particles floating all around.
The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio does a great job of enveloping the viewer in the muffled underworld of the frigid and dark sea. The dialogue is clean and sharp, and the soundtrack fills the entire room as the drama unfolds on screen. The combo pack includes the Blu-ray Disc and the digital download, but not much else. The extras are minimal but include Audio Commentary with Co-Writer/Director Alex Parkinson and Co-Writer/Producer David Brooks, Into the Deep: Making Last Breath, and a two-minute Gag Reel.
Knowing you are watching events that occurred in real life makes Last Breath more poignant than a full-on drama with no basis in fact. The suspense is, at times, intense, and the three leads portray that through their facial expressions and vocal tones. Parkinson does justice to the true story of Chris Lemons and, while the movie begins a little slow, it gains speed as it races to a triumphant finish.
Grade: B
