"Last Breath": A Heart-Stopping Tale of Survival Beneath the Waves
A Desperate Fight for Survival
"Last Breath," a gripping new film, plunges audiences into the depths of the North Sea, where a routine diving mission turns into a nightmare. The story follows Chris Lemons (played by Finn Cole), a young diver who finds himself stranded 300 feet below the ocean’s surface after his umbilical cable snaps. With only ten minutes of oxygen left in his backup tank, Chris faces an impossible race against time. The support vessel above is adrift in a violent storm, and his fellow divers, Duncan (Woody Harrelson) and Dave (Simu Liu), are trapped in a diving bell, unable to aid him. The crew on the vessel is frantically working to restore power and communication, but the clock is ticking. This is not just a fictional thriller—it’s based on a chilling real-life incident that will leave viewers on the edge of their seats.
The True Story Behind the Horror
The film is inspired by a harrowing event that occurred in September 2012 off the coast of Aberdeen, Scotland. A team of saturation divers, including Chris, Duncan, and Dave, were tasked with repairing an oil pipeline in the treacherous North Sea. The weather that day was notoriously rough, with winds reaching up to 35 knots, making conditions far from safe. As Chris and Dave worked, they received urgent calls to abort the mission when the support vessel’s dynamic positioning system failed, leaving the ship at the mercy of the storm. In the chaos, Chris’s umbilical cable became entangled in the pipeline, and for a terrifying moment, he was anchored to the drifting vessel. The cord eventually snapped, plunging him into the pitch-black water with no communication, no heat, and dwindling oxygen. News reports from the time suggested Chris had only five or six minutes of oxygen left, but the film extends this to ten minutes, perhaps to spare the audience some of the raw terror.
A Dire Situation and the Reality of Deep-Sea Diving
Deep-sea diving is often called the most dangerous job on Earth, and "Last Breath" wastes no time illustrating why. The film opens with Chris downplaying the risks to his fiancé, comparing it to going to space—a remark she finds anything but comforting. The movie quickly immerses viewers in the high-stakes world of saturation diving, where even the slightest malfunction can be deadly. As the crisis unfolds, the tension is palpable. The clock on Chris’s oxygen supply starts ticking down, and the audience is trapped alongside him, feeling every passing second. Meanwhile, the crew on the vessel and the divers in the bell are fighting their own battle to stabilize the situation, but their efforts are hindered by the ferocity of the storm and the limitations of their equipment. The film doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities of this profession, and the sense of dread is overwhelming.
A Tense and Thoughtful Adaptation
"Last Breath" is directed by Alex Parkinson, who also co-directed a documentary on the same incident, released in 2019. While the documentary was well-received, some stories are too compelling to remain in the non-fiction realm. The narrative film adaptation is a tightly wound, suspenseful retelling that doesn’t overcomplicate the story. Parkinson resists the urge to pad the runtime or invent unnecessary drama, keeping the focus squarely on the unfolding crisis. The result is a respectful and thrilling interpretation of the events, one that honors the real-life heroism and desperation of those involved. The cast delivers solid performances, with Woody Harrelson standing out as the wise but weary mentor figure on what’s supposed to be his final mission. Simu Liu, meanwhile, brings a quiet intensity to his role as Dave, the no-nonsense diver who delivers one of the film’s most harrowing lines: “It’s a body recovery, not a rescue.”
A Glimpse into the Minds of the Divers
As the story unfolds, the film oscillates between Chris’s desperate plight on the ocean floor, the diving bell where Duncan and Dave are trapped, and the support vessel above, where the crew is racing against time to regain control of the situation. Each setting amplifies the tension, creating a sense of claustrophobia and helplessness. On the vessel, frustration mounts as the crew struggles to reestablish communication and stabilize the ship. Below, Duncan and Dave are forced to watch impotently as their friend fights for his life. The film doesn’t invent a villain or manufacture unnecessary conflict; the real enemy is the unforgiving environment of the deep sea, where even the tiniest mistake can be fatal. This approach keeps the story grounded and relatable, making the characters’ desperation feel all too real.
A Brief but Powerful Film
At just 93 minutes long, "Last Breath" is a lean, efficient thriller that doesn’t waste a single moment. The pacing is relentless, and the tension is almost unbearable at times—so much so that viewers may find themselves both desperate for the film to end and, paradoxically, wishing it could go on a little longer. This is a rare compliment for a movie, but "Last Breath" pulls it off. It’s a testament to the power of the true story and the skill of the filmmakers that the audience becomes so fully invested in the outcome. While the film’s brevity is both a strength and a minor weakness, it’s a small quibble in what is otherwise an expertly crafted, deeply unsettling experience. Rated PG-13 for brief strong language, "Last Breath" is a must-watch for fans of survival stories and anyone who appreciates the raw power of the ocean.
