Last Breath (2025)
Last Breath (2025) – Full Movie Review: A Harrowing Deep-Sea Survival Thriller
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| Image Source: IMP Awards |
Title: Last Breath
Genre: Deep-Sea Survival Thriller
Director: Alex Parkinson
Main Cast: Finn Cole, Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu
Country: United Kingdom
Language: English
Release Dates:
Greece & Netherlands: February 27, 2025
United States: February 28, 2025
United Kingdom: March 14, 2025
Australia: May 8, 2025
Based On: True story of diver Chris Lemons (original 2019 documentary)
Runtime: Approx. 105 minutes
Production Companies: Floating Harbour Films, Wild Mercury Productions
Distribution: Wild Bunch International (select markets)
Filming Locations: United Kingdom, Malta, Scotland
Overview
In a genre often dominated by fantastical stakes and imaginary dangers, Last Breath (2025) arrives like a breath of icy, oxygen-starved realism. This deep-sea thriller, directed by Alex Parkinson, is not your typical survival tale. It’s a dramatization of Parkinson’s own 2019 documentary — a retelling of the miraculous true story of saturation diver Chris Lemons, who became trapped 300 feet underwater with only minutes of air left.
The film does not rely on over-the-top action or implausible heroics. Instead, it focuses on the tension of reality: how close can a person come to death, and still make it back? Anchored by stellar performances from Finn Cole, Woody Harrelson, and Simu Liu, Last Breath is a nerve-wracking cinematic dive into the human spirit’s resilience under pressure — both figuratively and literally.
Plot Summary
The story begins aboard the diving support vessel Bibby Topaz, stationed in the frigid and choppy waters of the North Sea. Chris Lemons (Finn Cole), Duncan Allcock (Woody Harrelson), and Dave Yuasa (Simu Liu) are members of a seasoned team of saturation divers — professionals trained to live and work in high-pressure underwater environments for extended periods.
Their mission: conduct routine maintenance on an oil pipeline over 300 feet below the surface. Using advanced diving suits and tethers — or “umbilicals” — they descend into the deep, carrying tools, cameras, and life-sustaining connections to the surface ship. The pressure is immense. One wrong move, one equipment failure, one miscalculation, could mean disaster.
And disaster strikes.
The ship’s Dynamic Positioning System, responsible for maintaining the vessel’s stability over the dive site, fails catastrophically. Buffeted by strong currents, the Bibby Topaz begins to drift. Lemons, still attached to the sea floor via his umbilical, is suddenly and violently yanked away from the system. His umbilical is severed — leaving him completely cut off from his only lifeline.
He is now alone, in pitch blackness, in subzero water, with a suit battery and an emergency oxygen supply that’s designed to last five minutes.
From this moment on, Last Breath becomes a real-time race against death. Harrelson’s Duncan and Liu’s Yuasa scramble to locate their colleague, coordinate with topside engineers, and execute a near-impossible rescue mission. As the minutes tick by and oxygen depletes, the odds of survival plummet.
But Lemons doesn’t die.
Miraculously, he is pulled out of the water alive — after 29 minutes without a tether or air — defying biology, logic, and science itself.
Cast & Characters
Finn Cole as Chris Lemons
Cole, known for his roles in Peaky Blinders and Animal Kingdom, delivers a standout performance as the humble yet heroic diver. His portrayal balances vulnerability with resolve. When faced with the terrifying stillness of the ocean floor, Cole’s restrained panic feels heartbreakingly real. His gasps, his dwindling voice over the comms, and the despair in his eyes—all of it pulls the audience into the helmet with him.
Woody Harrelson as Duncan Allcock
Harrelson adds gravitas and grit to the film as the dive team’s supervisor. With experience written across his face, Duncan is the glue holding the operation—and the narrative—together. He exudes calm under pressure, but the slow unraveling of his emotional control adds a layer of raw humanity.
Simu Liu as Dave Yuasa
Liu, best known from Shang-Chi, steps into a grounded, physically demanding role. As Yuasa, he is methodical, measured, and brave, representing the silent professional who will risk everything for his teammates. His performance avoids clichés and instead focuses on technical precision and quiet dedication.
Cliff Curtis as Captain Andre Jenson
A minor but pivotal role, Curtis plays the captain tasked with managing the ship amid chaos. His scenes in the bridge, surrounded by blinking consoles and barking orders, reflect the broader tension of technological reliance in high-stakes environments.
Bobby Rainsbury, MyAnna Buring, and Mark Bonnar round out the supporting cast, contributing significantly to the emotional and operational stakes of the story.
Production and Direction
The production of Last Breath was meticulous. Parkinson, having co-directed the original documentary, brings intimate knowledge of the real-life events to this dramatization. This authenticity is evident throughout—from the technical details of saturation diving to the set designs replicating the diving bell, pressurized living quarters, and the bridge of the Bibby Topaz.
Filming Locations & Set Design
The movie was primarily shot in Malta, Scotland, and on sets specially built to mimic the ship’s infrastructure. Underwater sequences were filmed in controlled tanks and with digital enhancements to simulate the murky, zero-visibility depths of the North Sea.
Underwater Cinematography
Cinematographer Rob Hardy deserves credit for making the abyssal depths visually compelling without resorting to CGI gimmicks. Using helmet-cam perspectives, sonar views, and long takes, the film generates claustrophobia and dread while keeping things grounded in reality.
Sound Design and Score
The soundscape is as important as visuals here. Silence is weaponized. When Lemons is disconnected from the umbilical, the sudden drop in ambient noise and the muffled rasping of his breath is horrifying. The score, composed by Paul Leonard-Morgan, is minimal yet haunting, using sonar pings and mechanical hums as instruments to mirror Lemons’ isolation.
Real-Life Events Behind the Film
On September 18, 2012, Chris Lemons, a British saturation diver, was working 262 feet below the surface when his ship’s dynamic positioning system failed. After his umbilical snapped, he survived over 29 minutes without oxygen. Medical professionals still cannot explain how he lived.
This incident was first explored in the 2019 documentary Last Breath, which gained international acclaim. The dramatized film takes some creative liberties but remains mostly faithful to the timeline and facts of the event. Lemons himself acted as a consultant during production.
Themes and Symbolism
Survival Against Nature
The ocean is not portrayed as a villain, but as an indifferent force. It is vast, beautiful, and lethal — a representation of nature’s raw power and man’s frailty.
Dependence on Technology
The film subtly critiques the over-reliance on automation. One computer glitch nearly kills a man. The irony is bitter: the very system designed to keep them safe becomes the reason for near-death.
Brotherhood and Teamwork
The emotional core of Last Breath is not Lemons' survival — it's the efforts of those who risk everything to bring him back. Their discipline, professionalism, and love for one another elevate the film from mere thriller to a celebration of human connection.
Release and Marketing
Release Dates:
- Greece & Netherlands: February 27, 2025
- United States: February 28, 2025
- United Kingdom: March 14, 2025
- Australia: May 8, 2025
Home Media: Released on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital platforms like Apple TV and Peacock in April 2025.
Marketing Strategy:
The marketing team leaned heavily into the true story angle. Trailers emphasized the miraculous nature of the incident, while posters highlighted quotes from the original documentary. Social media campaigns featured diving safety tips, interviews with real divers, and behind-the-scenes footage to draw both thriller fans and those intrigued by real-life miracles.
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| Image Source: IMP Awards |
Box Office & Reception
Budget: Estimated $25 million
Opening Weekend (USA): $7.85 million
Total Gross (as of May 2025): $34 million worldwide
Critical Reception
- Rotten Tomatoes: 78% critics, 91% audience
- Metacritic: 69/100
- IMDb: 7.4/10
Highlights from Reviews:
- The Guardian: “Unbearably tense — a film that makes you hold your breath alongside its hero.”
- IndieWire: “Proof that truth is stranger — and more moving — than fiction.”
- The Washington Post: “Gripping. You don’t need explosions when real life is this harrowing.”
Some critics noted the film’s hyper-focus on realism occasionally sacrifices emotional exploration, particularly in character backstories. But audiences overwhelmingly praised the film’s heart, tension, and respect for the real-life incident.
Conclusion
Last Breath (2025) is not a bombastic action movie or a heavily fictionalized survival tale. It’s a quiet, tense, and almost reverent dramatization of one of the most remarkable real-life survival stories ever recorded. With strong performances, especially from Finn Cole, and immersive underwater sequences, the film pays tribute not only to Chris Lemons, but to the unsung world of saturation divers everywhere.
It’s a film about breath — how precious, how fragile, and how miraculous it can be. By the time the credits roll, you’ll realize: you’ve been holding yours too.
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