Last Breath Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Last Breath Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Justin Dekker May 9, 2025

Based on the 2019 documentary 'Last Breath' directed by Richard da Costa and Alex Parkinson, Parkinson returns to direct the feature film adaptation, which is also entitled 'Last Breath', now seeing its Blu-ray debut courtesy of Universal. Starring Woody Harrelson as veteran diver Duncan Allcock, the film focuses on an event that threatened the life of a saturation diver approximately 300 feet below the surface of the North Sea. The release boasts a sharp 1080p video presentation and a solid audio track and is accompanied by a reasonable selection of supplemental material. Both a slipcover and a Digital Code redeemable through Movies Anywhere are included.

There are more than 20,000 miles of undersea pipeline, text that is layered over the image at the start of the film reads, then going on to claim that those who work on that pipeline have one of the most dangerous jobs on the planet. Those who weren't in agreement with that statement at Last Breath's start would likely change their minds by the time the credits roll. Chris Lemons (Finn Cole, Peaky Blinders) is one of these divers. After briefly meeting with his fiancée, Morag (Bobby Rainsbury, Only You), he travels to the port to start the tedious process of preparing for the upcoming dive. He, and the other members of his team, Duncan Allcock (Woody Harrelson, Zombieland) and Dave Yuasa (Simu Liu, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) get as comfortable as possible in their capsule and find ways to pass the time. Once in the water more than 300 feet below the surface to perform the job they've been assigned, it doesn't take long for things to go wrong. Rough seas start assaulting the surface vessel, and its struggles have ramifications for those down below, with an unfortunate event resulting in Chris's life- sustaining umbilical being severed, an event that happens at approximately the 38-minute mark. Stranded hundreds of feet below the surface in the dark depths, Chris has only eight minutes of air standing between life and death.

Once that critical event takes place, the film plays out for the most part in real time, with the crew aboard the surface vessel needing to address its own issues as the other divers' race to save Chris plays out. Graphics relentlessly count down the amount of air Chris has left. As the film hits its 48th minute, Chris has essentially run out of oxygen, and the film instead begins counting the number of minutes that Chris has gone without air. Due to the fact that Parkinson had previously crafted the documentary about the events, he had access to the actual CCTV footage from the dive, and it's intermixed with this film quite seamlessly and effectively. The most haunting footage is inserted at the 51-minute mark, as the viewer see the real grainy footage from the event of Chris, collapsed and stranded atop the underwater structure. His body periodically twitches due to oxygen deprivation, as a rescue attempt is made. Viewers will easily spot this authentic footage at other moments as well; its grainy blank-and-white nature is an obvious calling card.

Last Breath boasts some amazing production values thanks to the use of actual locations aboard real ships, the large sets constructed, and the massive tank used during filming for the underwater and shipboard storm scenes. The experience of Parkinson working on the original documentary also benefits the film as he is well-versed in the story and understands a great deal about the divers, the equipment they use, and the shipboard environments they inhabit. Additionally, the aforementioned CCTV footage from the actual events the film portrays adds further authenticity. The cast is likewise quite strong. Harrelson and the rest of the cast do their best to emulate the behavior and demeanor of their real- life counterparts. As a result, Harrelson is remarkably subdued in his performance here, with little of his typical wisecracking energy and action orientation creeping out. Here, he's the level-headed man remaining aboard the bell who initially talks Chris and Dave through their dive and then advises Dave on his attempt to rescue (or recover) his comrade. Cole's Chris and Liu's Dave are similarly even-keeled. Excitability and emotional responses are described as liabilities in this hazardous environment, so even when events are at their most dire, those under and above the water come off as remarkably calm, even though concern and worry lurk behind their eyes.

The quest for realism and authenticity, though, seems to cut both ways, with the successful building of tension suffering as a result. As Harrelson, Liu, Cole, and the others in the cast do their best to channel their real-life counterparts, their performances informed, to a great degree, to the cast meeting and spending time with them. Their resulting on-screen sense of calm in the face of extreme danger plays at odds with the needs of the film. Unlike other similarly themed films, characters do not undertake frantic action in a desperate bid to save a life. During the crisis, there is similarly an absence of emotional reactions. This comparative sense of calm persists even as the graphic detailing Chris's remaining oxygen approaches zero and beyond. While they may ring true to those in the know, it does not help to drive home or amplify the stakes. Other escalating cinematic tricks like quicker cuts and faster action are also missing, their absence likely easily explained away due to the naturally poorly lit underwater environment in which much simply seems to happen slowly and in the dark. The end result is a pervasive clinical feel, where the events are duly documented but nervousness and worry remain safely ashore.

Last Breath Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The dark depths of the ocean in Last Breath look quite pleasing on Blu-ray. Blacks are deep and inky. The undersea environment is realistically sparsely lit, with only the appropriate volume of the environment being illuminated by the lights affixed to the dive suits or other elements or items such as flares. The flare Finn's Lemons employs illuminates him in an eerie monochromatic red. In these types of situations, banding is the immediate concern but there is little to be seen. The red, yellow, and blue of the hoses that comprise the umbilliaca pop nicely, as does the royal blue of Harrelson's jumpsuit. Colors are richly saturated in the film's natural color palette. The texture of the metal sheeting around the various dials, buttons, and switches of the control panels is wonderfully tactilely rendered. Worn elements of the onboard environment are open for inspection and display appropriate scuffing, age, various gradations of rust, chipped paint, and the like. Compression artifacts are not an issue, and the source is in good shape. Fine detail is consistently high, as one would normally expect from a Universal product. Facial particulars, most frequently Harrelson's aging and stubble-ridden face, are available, with viewers able to see the vein standing out on the side of his head and subtle changes in skin tone from the neck to his cheek to the top of his head. Skin tones are healthy and realistic. It's a great transfer.

Last Breath Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The film's dialog is cleanly and accurately reproduced and is typically front and center and placed on top of music and effects in all situations. Voices only sound tinny and thin out of necessity to create the effect that they're originating from inside the bulky diving suits. Surrounds are leveraged to great effect to produce ambient and environmental noises, like the storm raging outside the surface vessel, the beeps and other noises of the equipment in the control room, and various water-related effects as the diving bell plunges to depth and as the divers work and maneuver in the aquatic environment. Bass adds sufficient depth to ominous musical elements, and most importantly, to the punishing waves buffeting the ship on the surface. It's a very enjoyable Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track.

Last Breath Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Into the Deep: Making 'Last Breath' (10.36) - Cast and crew discuss their interest in the project, including Pakinson who states he's been working with the Last Breath story in one way or another for the last 10 years. Information is shared about the saltwater tank in Malta used for shooting and the massive sets employed. The main cast shares their thoughts on meeting their real-life counterparts. The challenges of the underwater practical shooting are also discussed.

• Feature Commentary with Co-Writer/Director Alex Parkinson and Co-Writer/Producer David Brooks - The conversational style of this commentary track is quite welcoming, and the pair are obviously not working with prepared notes and are rather guided in their free-flowing remembrances by the on-screen action. Early on, they point out scenes that used actual ship locations instead of sets, when the people the film is based on appear in-shot (or parts of them, at least), and a mistake made during the filming of one of the aerial establishing shots. A discussion plays out as the two delineate the pros and cons of being completely realistic in one scene, as the divers prepare for life at depth and how doing so may have worked against the film's need to build tension. Here, and in other similar situations, the decision was made in favor of making better cinema over complete realism. The dou consistently provides additional information about deviations from the actual story versus what is depicted on the screen, and a wealth of very technical information that could not reasonably be shared in the film.

Last Breath Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Based on true events, Last Breath takes viewers deep under the sea on a harrowing journey to rescue a saturation diver whose oxygen supply has been severed. Directed by Alex Parkinson, who crafted the documentary of the same tale under the same title, with few exceptions, the feature film strives for accuracy at every turn, and the primary cast of Woody Harrelson, Finn Cole, and Simu Liu strive to bring their real-world counterparts to life. Production values are buoyed by the use of real shipboard locations mixed with expertly crafted sets, extensive practical underwater cinematography, and leveraging footage from the actual events depicted in the film. It's a visually engrossing affair that is well-supported by a solid and often immersive audio track. However, the push for realism comes at a cost, and rather than being a tense and harrowing tale of survival, Last Breath feels rather more tepid. For fans of documentaries and those who enjoy films focused on human perseverance against impossible odds, Last Breath comes recommended.