by Nick Ferro, Contributing Writer
After seeing the trailer, Last Breath felt like it would be the perfect Sunday afternoon movie that you watch on TBS while a movie like The Fugitive is on commercial on TNT. It did not stand out to me as a must-see. But it had two big names that made me reconsider: Woody Harrelson and Simu Liu. I decided that at the very least it would be worth checking out, because one is a veteran actor who is always fun to watch, and the other is an up-and-comer who I am so excited to see pop up (I’m still blown away he hasn’t gotten a sequel to his hugely successful Marvel entry). But a movie having good actors doesn’t mean it’s worth turning off something else while channel surfing, so I decided to find out for myself.
Last Breath is based on a true story of a deep-sea diver who becomes untethered during pipeline repairs, hundreds of feet beneath the ocean’s surface, and the attempt his crew mates make to rescue him. It’s is also a dramatization of a documentary of the same name that was released in 2019 by the same director. As with any movie based on a true story, there is the question of what is real and what is made up for dramatization. Quite frankly, with a documentary on the same subject in existence, I wasn’t too concerned if the filmmakers took liberties to make the movie more entertaining. If I want strictly the facts, I could watch the documentary. Not to say that I don’t care if Last Breath is a complete fabrication, but I understand that it is being made for entertainment first and foremost.
From a story perspective, you can tell that Last Breath keeps to the facts as best it can. Predominantly in the characters. Finn Cole plays Chris, the diver in peril, and the movie opens with us learning that he is newer to the job, but good at what he does. He is engaged, and his fiancée is not thrilled with his choice of vocation. This is played up for the emotional core of the movie, but it is never overly sentimental. His friend and mentor, Duncan (Harrelson), is getting too old for this… stuff, and is being forced to retire, which again is both true to life, but also the kind of thing that you play up in a movie as a “one last ride” situation. Then there is Dave (Liu), who is the stern and serious experienced diver at the top of his game. A big deal is made about how Dave is the best of the best of the best, sir! With honors! He’s the type of character who you can see Hollywood casting Dwayne Johnson to play, and making him the hero that the movie focuses on who saves the day at the end. I was expecting Liu to be the protagonist and do just that, but he is as much a part of this ensemble as anyone else. To me, a movie that was more interested in changing the facts would have given us all the schmaltz to make him the leading man “hero.” But that’s not what Last Breath does. A small part of me couldn’t help but feel robbed that the movie never dives (pun intended) into his backstory, or gives us a reason for his gruffness. Other than having two daughters and being a consummate professional, we don’t know anything about him. But on the other hand, it is refreshing to not get the typical big hero character that didn’t actually exist in the true story.
Lately, I have found that when a movie gives away the hook in the trailer, the lead-up to said hook tends to be a bit taxing. But what’s interesting about the opening 20 minutes of Last Breath is how it doesn’t drag getting us to the primary conflict. I was thoroughly intrigued by the process of divers going through the pressurization process, and the banter between the characters as we got to know them. I was both learning something new and being entertained by the setup. So often, movies like this lose their luster because you know what is going to happen. But even as the ship is being pulled away and the tether is about to snap, I was on the edge of my seat thinking, maybe it won’t!
Last Breath is strongest, though, once we get to the main conflict of rescuing Chris. When it focuses on the entire crew on the bridge of the boat, and the diving crew working together to save him, I found myself the most locked in. The ship loses its auto pilot, which forces the bridge crew to figure out how to regain control of the boat, leading to pretty great character moments for some of the smaller parts in the film. Not only do they need to get back to the dive location to rescue Chris, but he only has 10 minutes worth of oxygen, so they are on a constant time crunch. Any other movie would use that time crunch to ramp up the tension, which is done here slightly; however, a question is posed as we approach the 10-minute deadline, becoming the new tension driver: “Is this a rescue mission, or a body recovery mission?” As the movie progresses, you watch this group of people struggle between making decisions that will affect the needs of the many in order to save the needs of the one, and I love that there is not a stereotypical “villain” representing company interests who is arguing to not put human life first. The care and concern that these people show is not only inspiring, but also the kind of hope that we need to see more in this world. People working together despite themselves to help someone in greater need.
If you haven’t picked up my not-so-subtle hints, Last Breath reminded me a lot of watching Star Trek, and that’s a big plus in my book. I really liked the parallels of watching a diverse crew of people working together to save their away team from certain peril and death. They solve problems with the technology they have at their disposal, their first concern is the safety of their people, they come up with special ways to bypass computer issues, and the captain and first officer even manually control the ship at one point. So looking back at my original judgement of Last Breath feeling like the perfect Sunday movie that you watch on TBS while a movie like The Fugitive is on commercial, I still think that’s true. However, after watching Last Breath, you may forget to change the channel back to The Fugitive.
Rating: Liked It
Last Breath is currently playing in theaters
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