In a fairly unusual move, Alex Parkinson adapts his own 2019 documentary to a feature length film - to great effect, delivering a true-to-life thriller that is lean but not mean. Whilst it may not reinvent the rulebook and could arguably had more staying power in a miniseries format, Last Breath stands out as a simple, yet effective piece of filmmaking imbued with strong performances from its leads and some particularly entrancing underwater sequences - not to mention a resistance to Hollywood cliché.
The film, based off the true story depicted in Parkinson’s original doc, follows a trio of expert deep-sea divers - fresh-faced Chris (Finn Cole), jokester veteran Duncan (Woody Harrelson) and surly workaholic Dave (Simu Liu) as what starts as a routine expedition turns into an improbable race against time.
When a computer error sets their ship helplessly adrift up above and severs the umbilical cable connecting Chris to his oxygen, electricity, and communications - finding himself stranded at the bottom of the North Sea. With merely minutes of oxygen reserves remaining, Duncan and Chris rallied against time to save their colleague and friend, working in tandem with their captain Andre (played by Chris Curtis, The Piano) and dive supervisor Craig (Mark Bonner, Napoleon, The Rig). Just as the real-life crew banded together with lightning efficiency to accomplish their unforeseen mission, the team behind this dramatisation never lose focus on what matters in telling this singular story. At times, its straightforward structure and stripped-back approach (the score is functional, but unmemorable - its absence is just as significant as its presence) can seem less a Hollywood blockbuster and more a piece of video journalism.
Parkinson and his cast do well to depict the selflessness and perseverance of a team of divers who appear to make something of a dysfunctional trio at first, but whom are proven to be each others’ greatest allies in the face of adversity - wisely resisting the easy allure of manufacturing conflict between its characters without falling into bland hagiography.
Speaking of easy temptations, I would have forgiven Parkinson had he felt the need to create some kind of human representation of the challenge our heroes face to hammer home the stakes - say, a villain in the form of a saboteur or having one of the crew be opposed to rescuing Chris. However, the director holds fast to the reality of the situation he is depicting, which is refreshing though arguably places something of a ceiling on the dramatic potential of the film. The lack of conflict, inspiring though it may be, means that none of the characters we see go through much of what can be termed character arcs - though many may seem that as a good thing, being that it reminds us that these are real people being depicted rather than dramatic archetypes. The depictions of the trio are thinly-sketched, with the limited runtime denying the space for a great deal of backstory. Chris misses his fiancée Hanna, Duncan’s jovial veneer conceals his melancholy at being put out to pasture after his final mission and Dave - well, Dave is a brusque man of few words, whom we later learn does so out of fear of being too ‘distracted’ by the outside world (ie his two daughters).
However, it is the authenticity of the direction and performances which prevents these thin sketches from veering into the territory of caricature. Cole reels us in with a sufficiently vulnerable yet brave young man and Liu is reserved without being one-note (although I could not help but miss the charisma he displayed in the title role of Shang-Chi). Make no mistake though, the real star of the show is Harrelson. Although Duncan is a role that as written, he could have sleepwalked through to a serviceable end, Harrelson brings his A-game to this role by imbuing it with such humour, sincerity and easy wit. The glint in his eye is the spark that helps to keep this film alight.
The point deserves to be hammered home of the sheer verisimilitude accomplished by Parkinson not just in terms of the story, but the world into which he invites us as viewers. I would encourage everyone to take a look at behind-the-scenes photos and footage from this production - but suffice to say, edge-sanding shortcuts were not taken here. Great care was clearly taken to accurately depict the beautiful yet terrifying environment that is the depths of the North Sea. Awash with sentiment and refusing to use indeterminate light sources, so many of the underwater sequences in this film could have been ripped straight from the original documentary. That such authenticity is maintained is a testament to Parkinson’s vision, especially as a first-time Hollywood filmmaker. He is one to watch.
Being that the story of this film is so remarkably simple in narrative (not to pay a disservice to the Herculean efforts depicted, of course), it would be a disservice and far too easy to spoil it. I will not speak on the impressive action set-pieces nor the near-unbelievable sequence of events in the third act - many in my screening issued literal gasps on more than one occasion. Suffice to say, 93 minutes is scarce time to commit to be taken on such an inspiring and resonant thrill ride as this, and would be well-spent indeed.
RATING: ★ ★ ★ ½
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