‘Last Breath’ Review: Woody Harrelson and Simu Liu in a True-Life Undersea Rescue Thriller That Takes You Down and Lifts You Up
variety.comOwen Gleiberman Chief Film Critic There’s a certain kind of true-life logistical rescue drama — Ron Howard’s “Apollo 13” is the granddaddy of them — that makes you realize how larded with theatrical devices most movies really are. “Last Breath” is an undersea suspense thriller based on a saturation-diving accident that took place off the coast of Scotland in 2012.
It’s a movie about life-and-death predicaments, heroic actions, and the terror of being trapped in the icy black water 300 feet below the surface of the ocean.
Yet as I watched it, I kept thinking that if it were a made-up piece of Hollywood product, it would need a villain — a saboteur, perhaps, or maybe a ship’s captain who valued corporate profits over human life. “Last Breath” has none of that.
The film is only 93 minutes long, and it’s a compact tale that never strays from its central situation. That’s what’s effective about it (and also, in a way, a bit limited).
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