We just saw Last Breath, a survival thriller film, based on a true story (and is a feature film version of the 2019 Netflix documentary of the same name), and not to be confused with The Last Breath (a 2024 film about treasure hunters), at a preview screening event at the ShowPlace ICON theater in St Louis Park.

The film follows Chris the diver (played by Finn Cole), who is part of a maintenance crew to repair deep underwater pipes. It’s his first real dive, and it might be his last, because of some bad luck. First there’s a storm, then their ship’s software didn’t work, then Chris umbilical cord got cut off, leaving him with only 10 minutes of oxygen.

The rest of the film shifts focus on Dave the diver (played by Simu Liu) and Duncan the diver (played by Woody Harrelson). There’s also some scenes of the ship’s crew manually piloting the ship and fixing the software… it’s all very intense as they race against time to save Chris. Chris, on his part, managed to orientate himself and climbed on top of the manifold.

Normally, documentary and movies based on real life events aren’t my cup of tea, but there’s enough story here to make it interesting. The director, Alex Parkinson, did a good job in telling that story from all sides… from the ship captain to diver’s management team. Special mentions to the cinematographer and lighting department for presenting what it is like to be thousands of meters in deep darkness at the bottom of the sea. Visibility is next to nothing, even with underwater light flares, you still cannot see what is ahead of you.

The film’s soundtrack is by Paul Leonard-Morgan, who was also responsible for one of my favorite film Dredd. The film’s soundtrack is available on Amazon.

Last Breath will be out in theaters on Friday, February 28, 2025.