Last Breath

This film was fine but just could have been much more compelling.

Obviously the true story being told is incredible and very tense. But the way the film tells the story is just lacking.

The pacing is really odd and the script and acting feels like it's a B movie. The actors are wooden and they seem to have as much urgency and haste as a slug.

The cgi of the ship in the storm is good, and there are some good underwater shots.

It was also interesting to learn that they used some real footage of the real Chris as he was stranded.

I felt the addition of the fiancee just felt clichéd and shoehorned in to try and add more drama.

It's a watchable film but could have been better.

Last Breath was Regal's latest mystery movie and boy, was it an intense viewing experience! I found myself taking deep breaths throughout as the tension mounted - as if to assure myself that I could still breathe (maybe it's an asthma thing). This movie tells the true story depicted in 2019's documentary of the same name. Things go wrong on a deep sea diving repair mission and a diver gets trapped on the bottom of the ocean as the rest of the people on the ship above (and in the bell beneath the surface) battle the elements and the clock in their efforts to rescue him. Woody Harrelson turns in a solid performance in here, as do his costars Simu Liu and Finn Cole. The movie is efficiently paced with zero fat on it at all (yet managing to feel so much longer than it really is, because of the stakes involved for the characters). Cinematography and score are impressive as well. Recommended. Video review on my Cyn's Corner YouTube channel.

Upon entering the cinema today, I wasn't expecting anything. I just thought, this might be a fun little film to pass the week, till some more big ones release later this month. But after leaving the room, I was utterly flabbergasted. This film was gut-wretchingly tense and kept me on edge throughout the whole screening. These 1h33 felt like 30 minutes at most. Incredible True Story Thriller that won't let go of me for some time probably. Huge respect to all the people, who do this stuff regularly, and I really hope, they get a fortune for each dive, because it wouldn't be worth it if the don't.

While I keep hearing that the 2019 documentary (co-directed by Alex Parkinson, who also directs this) tackled the story a lot better, I like to think what works for and against the film is its 90-minute runtime. A story of this kind needs greater character establishment scenes and dialogue to make us really care for the lead(s) in underwater peril. That unfortunately isn't the case here as we dive into the core incident almost straight away, with time ticking fast. On the flip side, it maintains the thrill quotient all through by keeping things eventful and busy. The central performances (Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu, Finn Cole, and Cliff Curtis) are quite solid, plus the production design and visual effects are neatly done. The real-life footage at the end indicates the camaraderie between the men, which also made me want to see more of the documentary. It also made me think about the dangerous jobs that humans often sign up for.

I liked Last Breath. These everyman blue-collar hero stories have a habit of breeding cringeworthy dialogue delivery and acting performances. For the most part this film strays away from that. The cast is talented. Everyone has been a great supporting actor in another movie. Everyone delivered an effective and convincing role.

There are two great things to take away from this film. First, it does a fantastic job of explaining a line of work and industry I knew little to nothing about. Second, the director and editor have this film at the perfect length. Any longer and I think this would have felt dragged out. Character development was satisfactory, I really did care about most of the people by the end of the film. The pacing genuinely left me in suspense at parts of the film.

It's also worth stating that the casting deserves a 10/10 because Woody Harrelson actually looks like the twin brother of the guy he is playing. Crazy coincidence. I wonder if that's why he chose to play him?