In 2019, director Alex Parkinson released Last Breath, a documentary chronicling diver Chris Lemons’ first descent 330 feet beneath the North Sea. After days of breathing a specialized gas mixture to acclimate to the brutally inhospitable conditions awaiting him, Chris is about to take on one of the world’s most dangerous jobs: repairing miles of pipeline on the ocean floor—the very infrastructure that, we’re told, keeps regular Joe Schmoes warm through the winter. He and his crew expect to be cut off from the air-breathing world for a full 28-day cycle: a few days of acclimatization, long underwater shifts divided among three teams of three, and a final three-day decompression period. But rough seas and a sudden power outage turn their routine work tour into a desperate underwater rescue when Chris’ umbilical cable is severed, leaving him trapped 100 meters below the surface, without enough oxygen to survive until help arrives. Now, in 2025, Parkinson returns to the same harrowing tale, this time adapting Last Breath as a feature film.
Parkinson proves to be an economical storyteller. Perhaps to a fault. In a tight 90 minutes, he delivers the story with no excess, relying on the natural drama of the situation to create a largely breathless experience. But Last Breath doesn’t offer much depth beyond the immediate tension. The characters are familiar archetypes: the surly professional (Dave, played by Simu Liu), the veteran leader (Duncan, played by Woody Harrelson), and the anxious newcomer (Chris, played by Finn Cole); but little more than that.
▶ Streaming on Hulu. More picks: The Best Thriller Movies on Hulu Right Now →
The performances get the job done, even if nothing here is particularly remarkable. Liu is a bit stiff, Cole is solid but unremarkable, and Harrelson provides the film’s steady emotional anchor. The underwater cinematography is immersive, capturing both the eerie vastness of the deep and the claustrophobic dread of a diver cut off from the world. Once we come up for air though, it’s the power of the true story that will have the most sticking power.
CONCLUSION: ‘Last Breath’ delivers an incredible true story with taut suspense and no-nonsense filmmaking, but beyond its built-in tension, there’s not a ton that will linger. A sturdy, well-executed thriller that’s gripping in the moment but ultimately a one-time watch.
B
-
By: Matt Oakes
Started blogging about film in college when the university paper wouldn’t have him. Dislikes your consensus film Twitter favorites. Devotee of horror movies that make him die a little inside. Catches films at festivals when he can. Proud SFCS and OFCS member and Tomatometer-approved critic. Editor-in-chief of Silver Screen Riot.
-
-
Mike Flanagan Movies and Shows, Ranked
Pawlikowski’s ‘FATHERLAND’ Is a Handsome Snooze
Guillermo del Toro Movies, Ranked
‘WILDWOOD’ an Astounding Work of Craft Whose Story Can’t Quite Keep Pace
Every Ridley Scott Movie, Ranked: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Monthly(ish): the best reviews, the worst studio decisions, and the films worth losing sleep over.
Free. Delivered by Substack. Unsubscribe anytime.
For more reviews, interviews, and featured articles, be sure to:
Follow Silver Screen Riot on Letterboxd
Follow Silver Screen Riot on Facebook
Follow Silver Screen Riot on X
- ‘WHALEFALL’ Turns an Unfilmable Scuba Diver Mukbang Into an Underwater Thriller
- Inert ‘THE SOCIAL RECKONING’ Misses Fincher Badly
- Brad Pitt and a Very Good Boy Vs. Alaska in ‘HEART OF THE BEAST’
- The Best Thriller Movies Streaming Right Now
- Best Thrillers Streaming Now: Hulu · Netflix · HBO Max · Prime Video · Peacock · Paramount+ · Tubi · Kanopy