The Last Breath gets off to a shaky start. Set on a sunny island off Malta, it begins with four friends coming to visit one who got away. Noah has dropped out, now lives a modest life on the island, and runs a scuba operation. The characters are stereotypes: Noah the solid one; Brett the rich asshole, Sam the levelheaded one, Riley the scared one, and Logan the goofy one. They meet at an island bar, laugh and drink and cavort in a cringe-making sequence. It plays like the filmmakers are imitating a (better) movie they’ve seen and have trouble staging and masking their low budget.
Oh, there’s one other character: crusty old Levi, the boat’s captain, who happens to be played by Julian Sands, an actor in his last role before his untimely death in real life. His presence, even in a relative bit part, keeps us watching.
And it’s good that we hang on: the friends go on an excursion, a dive in the wreckage of a US warship sunk during WWII. Once in the water, The Last Breath comes to life and becomes a suspenseful thriller. It’s all clichés, but we don’t come to these movies expecting anything but squirmy thrills.
Swedish director Joachim Hedén specializes in undersea adventures—his other films include Breaking Surface (2020) and The Dive (2023)—and he is clearly in his element here. On land, his blocking and stiff bonhomie are clumsy. Put those guys in wetsuits and confine them to the bowels of a shipwreck and the action sharpens. By keeping it close, Mr. Hedén ups the tension. The interactions are simplified, all black shapes, radio voices and illuminated eyes.
Then add a roving deep-sea predator…
In these sequences (which make up the bulk of the runtime), characters come into their own. The stereotypes work; character development doesn’t gunk up the action. The actors become natural and compelling: Jack Parr as Noah (he’s been in Peaky Blinders), Kim Spearman as Samantha (As I Am), Alexander Arnold as Brett (Yesterday), Erin Mullen as Riley (TV’s Midsomer Murders), Arlo Carter as Logan (TV’s Doc Martin). And who can forget Julian Sands in A Room with a View?
The action is sharp, the suspense ratcheted up well, and the CGI work impressive. The cinematography by Eric Börjeson, production design by Thomas Delord, art direction by Jon Banthorpe, and VFX work by Goodbye Kansas Studios make the most of the murky waters and underwater shadows (compositors and CGI artists are too numerous to mention, but kudos to you all). Patrick Kirst’s score lays a solid foundation.
What would summer be without a good shark movie? The Last Breath will do quite nicely.
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The Last Breath. Directed by Joachim Hedén. 2024. From IFC films. In theaters and on VOD. 92 minutes.