Last Breath

A curiously bloodless account of a real-life disaster that has moments of gripping tension punctuating long stretches of fatally understated business as usual.

After seeing it, I felt deeply lucky to be chained to a desk.

Director Alex Parkinson, who co-directed a 2019 documentary about the incredible true story on which this film is based, makes an efficient fist of this breathless (literally) survival movie.

The deep, dark subaqueous world becomes the stage for a gripping survival drama. Parkinson and cinematographer Nick Remy Matthews understand this underworld realm as a place of gauzy slowness where dread unfolds at a measured pace.

Unfortunately, Last Breath squeezes every ounce of emotion from its premise. The suspense of locating Chris and determining his survival is extended to near excess.

The film wisely clocks in at just over 90 minutes, giving a sense of urgency that serves the story well. The watery recreations are well done&#59; If you fear drowning as much as I do, these scenes will be even more effective.

Parkinson brings Chris Lemons' true story to life—after a slow start, Last Breath builds suspense into a gripping and triumphant survival thriller.

As a tribute to the highly specialized-skilled blue-collar type guys doing the someone’s-gotta-do-’em dirty jobs, it’s no-nonsense functional.

With the by-the-numbers approach (This happened, and then this happened, etc.), it never really gets to the point where the audience's attention is rapt with anticipation as to what's going to happen next.

Just when you think you had a bad day at work, a film comes along that puts everything in perspective. Last Breath is a nightmare worse than any horror film, and, at times, I had to remind myself to breathe.