Photo credit: movieweb.com
The survival drama Last Breath, featuring Woody Harrelson and MCU’s Simu Liu, has quickly risen to prominence as a leading title on streaming platforms. Drawing from a true incident that occurred in 2012 involving saturation diving, the film currently holds the top position on Peacock’s chart of most popular films, joining the ranks of other hits like Wicked, Wolf Man, and Minions: The Rise of Gru.
Directed by Alex Parkinson and co-written with Mitchell LaFortune and David Brooks, Last Breath chronicles the harrowing experience of Chris Lemons, a saturation diver whose remarkable survival defied expectations. This narrative is adapted from a 2019 documentary of the same name, which also captured the intense drama surrounding Lemons’ plight and the efforts of his crew to rescue him from a presumed fatality.
Having received a limited theatrical release in February 2025, Last Breath grossed $23.6 million against a production budget of $23.8 million. It features an ensemble cast including Finn Cole as Lemons, alongside Cliff Curtis, MyAnna Buring, and Mark Bonnar. The film boasts an impressive standing on Rotten Tomatoes, with an 80% critics score and a 91% audience score, both classified as Certified Fresh and Verified Hot respectively.
Mark Keizer from MovieWeb stated, “Last Breath is a tightly constructed page-turner where the challenging circumstances faced are met with resolute determination. However, its matter-of-fact approach leaves the narrative feeling slightly hollow. While the film concludes on a positive note and showcases commendable craftsmanship, it raises several unanswered questions regarding Chris’s ordeal while he remained unconscious on the oil rig manifold.”
The Unbelievable True Story Behind ‘Last Breath’
Last Breath recounts a true event from September 2012 in the North Sea. During a dive, Chris Lemons, along with colleagues Duncan Allcock and David Yuasa, descended in a diving bell to conduct repairs. While Allcock remained in the bell, Lemons and Yuasa proceeded deeper. An emergency alarm prompted the divers to return quickly, but an accident severed Lemons’ umbilical cord, cutting off his oxygen supply. Meanwhile, the support vessel, Topaz, became adrift, jeopardizing Lemons’ situation further.
Reports indicate Lemons was without oxygen for nearly 30 minutes as his teammates battled fierce currents to retrieve him. Yuasa descended to bring Lemons’ seemingly lifeless body back. Against all odds, Lemons, though unresponsive at first, eventually regained consciousness. The scientific community remains divided on the factors that contributed to his survival, attributing it to a complex interplay of environmental conditions and sheer luck.
Film Details
Release Date: February 27, 2025
Runtime: 93 minutes
Director: Alex Parkinson
Writers: Alex Parkinson, David Brooks, Mitchell LaFortune
Producers: Jared Underwood, Alastair Burlingham, Danny Mandel, Jeremy Plager, Anna Mohr-Pietsch, Gary Raskin, Stewart Le Marechal, Richard Da Costa, Andrew C. Robinson, Jonny Persey, David Brooks, Al Morrow, Dan Clifton, Hal Sadoff, Paul Brooks, Norman Golightly
Cast
Woody Harrelson
Duncan Allcock
Finn Cole as Chris Lemons
MyAnna Buring
Cliff Curtis
Mark Bonnar
Josef Altin
Source
movieweb.com