Last Breath (2025)

By: Mike Ward on Thursday, February 27

PG-13 Running Time: 93 mins

SHOULD I SEE IT?

YES

Fans of the 2019 documentary of the same name will likely be curious to see this remarkable story dramatized for the big screen.
When Woody Harrelson turns on his folksy charm, it is hard not to enjoy watching him do his thing.
Impressive underwater cinematography and a striking sound design help make this film quite compelling.

NO

Let’s be brutally honest: Last Breath doesn’t get made if the film lacks a happy ending.
I am not sure why director Adam Parkinson chose to remake his documentary. For one, the documentary is a superior film. Secondly, this feels rushed - doing the minimal amount possible with character development and exposition just so we can get to the “cool stuff.”
Telegraphs everything. Predictable. Last Breath may gain your attention for 90-plus minutes, but it offers next to no surprises - even if you are unfamiliar with the true story the film is based upon.

OUR REVIEW

While remaking documentaries is not a new phenomenon, remaking a documentary you directed is not something we see all that often. After Adam Parkinson’s 2019 documentary Last Breath, which he co-directed with Richard da Costa, found acclaim on Netflix, his new dramatization with the same name has now arrived in theaters.

The story Parkinson shares is indeed a remarkable one. In 2012, three saturation divers were among a crew of people tasked with repairing a damaged pipeline approximately 300 feet below the surface of the North Sea. Veteran Duncan (Woody Harrelson) gets to once again work with Chris (Finn Cole), a young diver relatively new in his career. With the stoic and serious Dave (Simu Liu) joining them, the trio are selected as “Team A” and tasked with making the first descent down to the seabed.

During the dive, the vessel gets caught up in volatile conditions. As Chris and Dave embark on their first journey down to the pipeline, the boat loses all onboard functionality and begins to drift. As the crew scrambles to try and bring systems back online and right the ship’s dangerous trajectory, Chris’ umbilical tether snaps as he and Dave attempt to make it back to the diving bell. Left with only eight minutes of oxygen, Dave promises to come back for Chris, who is left in the darkness to try and survive an impossible set of circumstances.

It is no spoiler to share that Chris defied every imaginable scenario and survived nearly 30 minutes underwater without oxygen. As indicated in the documentary, and reiterated here, everyone who examined Chris after he was rescued remains unable to accurately explain just how he survived the ordeal.

With that story to tell, Last Breath offers much to like on the surface. Parkinson is adept at capturing the simultaneous claustrophobia and disorientation that Chris feels in those moments he is alone. He has good command of the tension he is aiming for, both above and below the sea. As the crew moves to bring their computers back online, ship captain Andre Jenson (Cliff Curtis) orchestrates a plan to try and recover Chris’ body. In these moments, Parkinson’s film generates a solid level of suspense through some impressive editing decisions by Tania Goding and a powerful sound design.

However, technical mastery can only carry us so far and Parkinson’s screenplay with co-writers David Brooks and Mitchell LaFortune never fully takes the time to develop any of the main characters. An efficiently paced film, at a little over 90 minutes, we get the bare minimum when it comes to understanding the motivations with these characters.

Though Harrelson’s Duncan has some nice moments as a wistful mentor who has taken Chris under his wing, these folks are merely caricatures and not fleshed out, three-dimensional people. Chris’ fiancee, Morag (Bobby Rainsbury), seems to exist simply to remind Chris how much she struggles accepting what he does for a living. And the other significant characters are sketched with the broadest of strokes. Duncan is at a crossroads. Chris is young and idealistic. Dave is a grump. And once we learn those basics … we go diving.

If Last Breath had taken the time to build deeper and more complex characters, we would have a richer and more meaningful viewing experience. Instead, while we may be amazed at Chris’ improbable survival, we remain detached from feeling any real emotion around these events.

Even those who have not seen the documentary, or who remain unaware of Chris’ story, will recognize that this all feels rather predictable. As a result, nothing is really ever in doubt and most would be better served watching the original documentary to experience the thrills and intensity this movie strives to achieve.

CAST & CREW

Starring: Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu, Finn Cole, Cliff Curtis, Mark Bonnar, MyAnna Buring, Josef Altin, Bobby Rainsbury, Connor Reed

Director: Adam Parkinson
Written by: Mitchell LaFortune, Alex Parkinson, David Brooks
Adapted from the documentary film “Last Breath,” directed by Adam Parkinson and Richard da Costa
Release Date: February 28, 2025
Focus Features

Fans of the 2019 documentary of the same name will likely be curious to see this remarkable story dramatized for the big screen.

When Woody Harrelson turns on his folksy charm, it is hard not to enjoy watching him do his thing.

Impressive underwater cinematography and a striking sound design help make this film quite compelling.

Let’s be brutally honest: Last Breath doesn’t get made if the film lacks a happy ending.

I am not sure why director Adam Parkinson chose to remake his documentary. For one, the documentary is a superior film. Secondly, this feels rushed - doing the minimal amount possible with character development and exposition just so we can get to the “cool stuff.”

Telegraphs everything. Predictable. Last Breath may gain your attention for 90-plus minutes, but it offers next to no surprises - even if you are unfamiliar with the true story the film is based upon.