Synopsis: A heart-pounding film that follows seasoned deep-sea divers as they battle the raging elements to rescue their crewmate trapped hundreds of feet below the ocean’s surface. Based on a true story, LAST BREATH is an electrifying story about teamwork, resilience, and a race against time to do the impossible.
What We Thought:
Have we seen dozens of films like Last Breath before? Yes. After the screening I was asked what I thought of the movie and I said it was better than Deepwater Horizon, but not as good as Thirteen Lives. That was two similar movies just off the top of my head.
That being said, just because we’ve seen similar films before doesn’t mean it’s a bad movie. It’s not groundbreaking or original in the slightest, but it’s entertaining enough. It’s also pretty quick and never wanders off course which helps hold your attention and gets you right into the story.
The story is about a deep diving crew with the focus on three divers. Woody Harrelson is the aging veteran leader who doesn’t actually dive. Simu Liu is the cocky diver who thinks he’s the best of the best. Finn Cole is the younger diver who has some experience, but is definitely the least experienced of the three. Liu and Cole hit the bottom of the ocean to fix a pipe and bad weather makes it even more difficult. I won’t spoil what happens and to who, but it’s based on a true story so you might know about it already.
As I previously said the movie is pretty quick. The low runtime gets you right into the action. We are introduced to Cole and his girlfriend. She doesn’t love the danger that comes with his job, but he sets out for a month long trip. We meet Harrelson, Liu and others in the dive team. The ship takes off where we are introduced to those who run the ship. We see how the dive teams prepare for the pressure of the depths they will encounter. The dive happens and the action takes place.
By not bogging down the audience with too much backstory and character development, the film is tight. The event that takes place is dramatic enough. There is nothing worse than a film that has a dramatic event and then adds layer after layer of character development and side stories that ultimately is unnecessary to the dramatic event. It’s based on a true story that spawned a documentary already so by sticking to the events the film flows and pretty much just shows you what happened.
If Last Breath was going straight to a streaming site I’d totally understand. It is playing theaters, but I don’t see it doing too much at the box office. It’s entertaining enough, but it’s also a film I’ll completely forget exists by year’s end. Harrelson can do this type of movie in his sleep, but Cole does a good job as the younger diver. A fellow movie reviewer calls these types of flicks “Dad Movies” and it makes sense. I don’t see the younger crowd turning out for it, but the over 30 crowd (especially men) will dig it.
The Nerds Templar 