The Wasteland Reviewer

Last Breath (2025) Written Review

What is the scariest scenario you can imagine yourself getting into? There are many dangerous jobs out there that can put your life at risk. Being a soldier in a war zone. Building skyscrapers on small platforms hundreds of feet in the air. Or even working on deep sea pipelines deep in the depths of the water. Many things can go wrong when you are submerged underwater, and that fear can fruition when Chris Lemons was stuck on the bottom of the sea and was deprived of oxygen. This harrowing and inspiring true story comes to the big screen with Last Breath. 

Does director Alex Parkinson’s new film do justice to this shocking true story? There is a specific choice that Parkinson makes that allows the audience to feel the reality of the situation. Sacrificing a more cinematic feel (for much of the film), Last Breath is presented with a docu-drama approach where the camera navigates the space like we are watching real people. The trade off is that the film lacks a feeling of texture or visual appeal. Now when the film gets to the more tense moments under the sea, Parkinson can capture plenty of tension and suspense. Cinematographer Nick Remy Matthews utilizes deep sea cameras that make the audience feel like they are stuck in this situation too and it is engrossing and thrilling. 

How does Parkinson present Lemons’ story? You might expect from the concept (and even the marketing) that it is presented as a deep-sea thriller. That is not necessarily the case. The film certainly delivers on those elements of the film which are quite suspenseful and thrilling for sure. But you might not expect this to play such a small overall part of the film’s runtime. This lean film focuses quite a bit on the humanity of the situation. This allows the audience to really FEEL this story. We see Lemon and his wife in their most tender and loving moments. We see his connection with his peers (including his mentor Duncan). There is plenty of set-up, so we feel the weight of the situation. Maybe unexpectedly, the film even focuses on the aftermath quite a bit as well. This might not seem necessary, but the film hits a chord as it shows the real value of life and resilience. There is plenty of emotion to go around with this story for sure. 

What makes the film so resonant? The cast really delivers. Finn Cole (of Peaky Blinder fame) delivers an empathetic and authentic performance for sure. We feel for him and cheer for him along the way. The more intimate and tender moments work so well, and Cole’s performance goes a long way. Woody Harrelson portrays Duncan and brings his unique brand of personality and charm to this role. Harrelson has his hilarious moments, but he delivers on the emotion in such an impactful way as well. Simu Liu is saddled with a much more reserved and subtle character, but he finds his own way to convey emotion with small choices. This trio works so well together and delivers in the fun moments, the thrilling moments, and the emotional moments of the story. Throw in character actors like Cliff Curtis to anchor things down and you have quite the effective cast. 

Does Last Breath deliver in telling Lemon’s story with respect and emotion? Parkinson delivers for sure. There is plenty of emotion that exudes from this experience. There are plenty of thrilling moments as well with some impressive deep-sea moments that will put you on the edge of your seat. Thanks to a game cast, this film really comes together in a big way.