Displaying items by tag: Finn Cole

LAST BREATH

UK/US, 2025, 93 minutes, Colour.

Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu, Finn Cole, Cliff Curtis, Mark Bonnar, MyAanna Buring, Bobby Rainsbury.

Directed by Alex Parkinson.

In 2019, director, Alex Parkinson, made a documentary about dangers and risks for engineers involved in repairing pipelines and cable connections in the North Sea, at great depths, outside the Scottish city of Aberdeen.

Now he has turned it into a feature film, going over the same drama, the characters, the situations, the dangers, the rescue. In this way it reaches a wider audience than did the documentary. However, the film critics were for praising the style and the impact of the documentary over that of the feature film.

The film offers the opportunity for Woody Harrelson to have a starring role, the older experienced diver, eccentric personality, interacting with the team, drawing on his experience, and supportive of the younger man. The two other drivers are played by Simi Liu (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) and Finn Cole. And the captain of the ship is played by Cliff Curtis.

The film opens with the young man and his girlfriend, giving a human setting to the naval action and the diving. The teams are introduced, the audience getting to understand the issues of the ocean floor, the depths, the dangers, the routines, the repairs, the four days needed underwater for gradual adjustment and then being brought to the surface.

However, as expected, there is an accident, the young man being caught, his heart stopping for quite some time, this time the information continually on screen, the management of the rescue, the reactions of the crew on the top, the captain and his decision, the female second in charge and her interventions, the technological expert and his finding ways to communicate.

And, below the surface, the wise experience of the veteran, the rather reticent other member of the crew and his venturing out, the rescue, dangers and entanglements, the tension in bringing the injured man in, and the question of whether he was dead or alive.

While there is the human drama, there is still a strong atmosphere of the documentary.

1. The title and application, danger, death?
2. The work of the writer-directors, the success of his initial documentary, the decision to make a feature film, his contribution to the writing, his directing? Comparisons between the two films?
3. Deep sea diving, the UK, of the Scottish coast, Aberdeen? The Port, the facilities, the ships? The sophistication of the technical equipment?
4. The underwater task, international cables in the seabed, laying, repairs? The demands, the dangers, compression, preparation, equipment, physical skills, psychological readiness, the work itself, the depths, coming up, the period of readjustment?
5. The introduction to the ship, the captain and crew, the divers,, American, the Woody Harrelson type? Experience, coming to the end, relating to the men, memories, practical wisdom? Dave, his background, his skills, some reserve?
6. The introduction to Chris, local, family, his girlfriend, his skills, young, opportunities?
7. The three men, discussions, bunking together, preparation for the dire, the personal interactions?
8. The Captain, in command, the officer in charge of the dive, the equipment, connections? The assistant, her tough stances, decisions? The other members of the group?
9. The men going down, all going well, normal, preparations, going out? The detail of the swimming, the audience is immersed in the deep waters with the swimmers?
10. The difficulties, keeping in touch, accidents, Chris, his enthusiasm, the accident, his coping, manoeuvring, loss of consciousness?
11. The device of letting the audience know his state of health, last breath, the subsequent times during the rescue and his recovery?
12. Dave, going out, his skills, the details of the rescue, the dangers, the waters, and compression, the struggle to get Chris aboard? His personal commitment?, The encouragement, advice?
13. The scenes in the ship, the decisions of the Captain, the equipment, off-line, online again, life-and-death tension, the assistant and her decisions about manoeuvres?
14. The success of the rescue, coming to surface, the decompression? And the achievement of the crew and the satisfaction of the captain?