It isn’t a bad guideline to assume that humans should avoid going longer than three minutes without oxygen, lest they risk brain damage and worse – death. Last Breath, a film by Alex Parkinson (written by Mitchell LaFortune, Alex Parkinson, and David Brooks), is a thriller that mines a real-life situation that’s so harrowing, and inexplicably turned out so well for our protagonist, that it accidentally upended what science knew to be true. Based on Parkinson’s own documentary Last Breath, the film follows the true story of when diver Chris Lemons’ umbilical cable was cut off, and he laid 100 meters beneath the surface without heat, light or oxygen… and somehow survived for half an hour under conditions that should have meant certain doom.

Finn Cole plays Lemons, who joins a crew performing one of the most dangerous jobs in the world: traversing the ocean floor to repair and care for oil pipeline. As one team among a few, his immediate crew includes his soon-to-be-retired but still charming mentor/friend Duncan Allcock (Woody Harrelson) and the over-serious but talented David Yuasa (Simu Liu). When rough seas and technical issues sever Lemons’ air supply, it’s a deadly full-court press to return him to the land of the oxygenated living, as the seas, ship’s technology, and situational luck fail to comply and time ticks away.

When Life Hands You Lemons, He’s Invincible

A funny thing happened on the way to saving a dying diver: everyone’s traits come quickly into sharp focus. Cole is great as the suffering diver who made promises to his beloved to come home safe. He’s charismatic on camera, and sells the underwater dangers well. Woody Harrelson turns in strong work as Duncan Allcock, a seasoned pro who trained Chris and is close to being thrown out to pasture. His performance has emotional range and the easy likability that he excels so well at, and the two have an easy chemistry when they’re scene partners.

Divers escape danger under water in Last Breath
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Simu Liu is a talented performer, but David Yuasa is written a little too stoic for Liu’s talents to be well utilized. Here, Yuasa is unyielding and stiff even when his actions don’t seem to be: he’s never allowed to emote. The rest of the cast all turn in capable performances when they’re given good work to do, but memorably dramatic scenes are available less often than desirable. It makes sense for the film to spend more time in the water than on the ship, but while the ship’s dangerous technical problems and bold problem-solving are focused on, they could be used better as sources of steady tension and drama.

Additionally, extra set up would add additional tension to the narrative. It might be nice to have greater context over what’s supposed to happen so that we know how much we’re supposed to fear for Chris’ life, and how amazed we should be when he simply doesn’t die (not much of a spoiler given the true story it’s based on). There is tension, but it’s abated a little without that context since his untethered descent miraculously fails to have consequences. There are also specific scenes that could be honed further in script and the edit for intensity and pacing. It largely works, just somewhat less dramatically than intended.

Strong Underwater Cinematography Captures Deep Ocean Claustrophobia

Last Breath includes the most harrowing and claustrophobic underwater cinematography since William Eubank’s Underwater. It’s a wildly different film, but the film provides audiences with well-framed and capably executed views of the dark abyss of the deep, alongside a strong balance of personal looks at the people in and around it. Human beings are magnificent, but we should be at the bottom of the ocean as much as we should be in a black hole (we should not, evolutionarily speaking). The terrors are well shot, both horrific and beautiful in equal measure.

Finn Cole as Chris Lemons in Last Breath
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Inside the ship, diving bell, and so on, the camera work is a little less successful. At times, it’s awkwardly close to the performers, making for visually odd scenes that feel a little off when perhaps they aren’t meant to. Surely there are technical challenges to shooting in close quarters, but it’s a habit that also plagues some of the film’s other scenes (like emotional exchanges between Chris and his fiance, Morag, portrayed by Bobby Rainsbury). Their relationship still manages to provides decent emotional grounding for the picture as a front-and-center focus, but some key scenes could be better framed.

Altogether, Last Breath is a decent thriller inspired by a true story, centered around an impossible but very real situation whose outcome defies explanation. A little honing in the narrative could allow the film’s talented cast to dial in stronger performances (minus Finn and Woody, who excel). It could also give a little greater understanding of the context, stronger pacing, and there are opportunities to milk the situation for greater tension. While there are missed opportunities, the underwater cinematography and uniqueness of the situation make for a very watchable film that largely lands where it counts.

Last Breath releases February 28 in theaters.