FEATURED MOVIE REVIEW: Last Breath

By John Mulderig/OSV News

NEW YORK. In 2012, Scottish professional diver Chris Lemons was temporarily stranded at the bottom of the North Sea with a rapidly dwindling supply of oxygen. Both before and after Lemons lost consciousness, two of his colleagues raced to save his life.

Having recounted the trio’s story in an eponymous 2019 documentary, which he helmed with Richard da Costa, director and co-writer Alex Parkinson has fictionalized it into the rescue drama “Last Breath” (PG-13, Focus). The result is a mostly pleasing celebration of friendship, teamwork, determination and grit.

Finn Cole plays the youthful Chris. But top billing goes to Woody Harrelson as Chris’ apparently gruff yet amiable supervisor and friend, Duncan Allcock.

As the film shows, Chris was the victim of a bizarre turn of events. While he was carrying out repairs on underwater equipment, Capt. Andre Jenson (Cliff Curtis), the commander of the ship on which Chris and his co-workers were employed, suddenly found himself battling both a storm and malfunctioning navigation equipment.

As a result of this double whammy, the vessel veered off course, severing the tubes through which Chris was being provided with air. With only a 10-minute reserve to sustain him, his fate looked grim.

The resolution Duncan displays amid this crisis is matched by that of his crewmate, Dave Yuasa (Simu Liu).

Though a more reserved character than the swaggering Duncan, Dave — who has only had the chance to become slightly acquainted with Chris — takes on the difficult task of locating his helpless associate and carrying him up to the safety of their diving bell.

Parkinson maintains the suspense of his against-the-odds tale and crafts some moments of touching poignancy. Even at a trim 93 minutes, however, the film occasionally feels padded.

Objectionable elements are kept to a relative minimum. Chris does share a household with his fiancee, Morag (Bobby Rainsbury). But home footage of their Catholic wedding makes up part of the happy ending.

The wrap-up also hints at the quasi-miraculous nature of the fact that Chris suffered no lasting physical or mental damage as a result of his ordeal.

Given that he was unable to breathe for just short of half-an-hour, Parkinson and his script collaborators, David Brooks and Mitchell LaFortune, point out that his full recovery has baffled medical experts.

An ultimately upbeat salute to resolve and camaraderie, “Last Breath” is possibly acceptable for older teens.

The film contains premarital cohabitation, a few instances each of mild swearing and crude language and a single rough term.

The OSV News classification is A-III — adults.