So, did you have that one friend, or perhaps a family member, that drones endlessly about their ‘soul-sucking” occupation? Well, here’s the film that just might quiet them down. The team profiled really deals with life and death as they plunge into the deep, dark murky depths. Yes, it’s another tale set at sea, but it’s not merely a “rehash” of basic cable TV reality shows like “The Deadliest Catch”. And yes, it is indeed inspired by a true story of survival. The filmmakers really put you alongside these working class “daredevils”. And it all makes you wonder what you would do and how you would feel knowing that you might soon be taking your LAST BREATH.
That “profiled team” is a trio of men who work in “saturation diving”. They’ve got to do repair work on oil pipelines at the bottom of the ocean, for about four weeks at a time. Actually only two members of the trio get into the cold dark water. The first one we meet (after a spooky opening “fast-forward” scene) is twenty-something Chris Lemons (Finn Cole), who is spending his “off hours” refurbishing a home for his soon-to-be-bride Morag (Bobby Rainsbury) on farmland in rural Scotland. The other diver is the tough, focused, “all business” Dave Yuasa (Simu Liu). The third teammate is the “bellmaan”, affable nearly retired vet Duncan Allock (Woody Harrelson), who is somewhat of a mentor to Chris. They all report to the floating support vessel, the Bippy Topaz, which operates in the North Sea over a hundred miles from the coast of Scotland. Their “28-day shift” begins on board as they occupy one of several saturation pods (there are several teams) prior to the dive. A mixture of helium and oxygen (heliox) is pumped in to condition their bodies to deal with the pressure at depths of over three hundred feet. They all report to the ship’s Captain, Jensen (Cliff Curtis), though the divers’ main supervisor, who is in constant communication, is Craig (Mark Bonnar). The night of the first dive is a rough one, with huge rolling waves and wind gusts over thirty knots, difficult but not unworkable. The diving bell sinks below the ship, and Duncan sends Chris and Dave out to the cage above the oil pipeline (AKA the manifold) as he pushes them out via their “umbilical tether”, the thick series of hoses that pump in heliox and hot water while also housing the communications system (mikes, lights, and video). Then the unthinkable happens as the storms pull the Topaz away from them as the “dynamic positioning system” fails, basically a complete computer “crash”. As the divers rush back to the bell, Chris’ tether catches on part of the manifold and eventually snaps. Dave barely makes it back to Duncan as they formulate a plan to retrieve Chris. all while the Captain and Craig try to manually steer the ship as the crew attempts a “reboot”. But time is running out for Chris since he’s only got around five minutes of backup air. Gulp indeed!
I suppose the leader of the cast, at least for the marketing, is TV and film vet Harrelson, who brings his easy-going, gregarious charm to the role of the “old timer” that still thinks he’s got a few more missions in him. Actually he’s more of a “deep sea daddy’ to both the divers as he furls his brow and paces back at the “bell” when he’s not doling out the “lifeline”. Harrelson shows us that he’s fighting to contain his emotions when it looks like this’ll be a fatal ‘gig”. He’s also a buffer for the more abrasive, though polished. Dave who is given a somber swagger by the always engaging Liu. He’s concerned also, though his internal panic is not as pronounced. Although he’s somewhat “out-of-action” for most of the second act, newcomer Cole as Chris has a boyish, often contagious enthusiasm as he strives to prove himself to Dave while trying to break out of the “student/teacher” relationship with Duncan. Bonnar is excellent as the “man-at-the-desk” Craig, who is glued to his com and his screens until those “red lights” force him out of his chair and into “rescuer mode” alongside the somber Captain, given the proper gravitas and concern for the entire crew by the reliable Curtis. Kudos also for Rainsbury, who shines in some cellphone videos that fuel Chris’s zeal to survive.
This is such a compelling “true tale” that the director is returning to it after six years. That’s when filmmaker Alex Parkinson (then teamed with Richard da Costa) made a superb documentary about this captivating subject. In fleshing it out into a narrative “docudrama”, he actually builds on the tension and drama, thanks to the screenplay he co-wrote with Mitchell LaFortune and David Brooks. They’ve felt no great need to ” expand the scope” with lots of flashy CG effects or bombastic, dramatic declarations. Though they’re out in that rolling sea, it’s still an intimate study of average men and women rising to the herculean challenge of helping a fallen friend. Sure, this might harken back to the old “B movies” of yesterday. like the “late show” crime noirs or Westerns, but it’s just as gripping as any fictional tale of daring and spectacle. And it’s best enjoyed on the big screen, to really be immersed in that eerie pitch black sea floor and engulfed by the eerie stillness, making you feel as though Chris is floating untethered through the cosmos (those deep-pressure dive suits seem more like space suits). Parkinson paces the film perfectly with little slack (a big part of Duncan’s duties), guiding his excellent ensemble in a film that’s riveting and engrossing right from the first to the LAST BREATH.
3 Out of 4
LAST BREATH is now playing in theatres everywhere
