Last Updated on August 2, 2024 by
The Last Breath is a 2024 Movie Directed by Joachim Hedén. The film stars Julian Sands, Alexander Arnold, and Kim Spearman, with a run-time of 1h 36m and will be released on July 26, 2024.
The Last Breath is the third shark movie I have reviewed this year, following Something in the Water and Under Paris. The movie is also a tragic swan song for Julian Sands, who passed away in January after being lost while hiking at Mount Baldy in California. He is well known for performing in many films, some of which are the 1993 thriller film Boxing Helena.
In The Last Breath, Julian Sands was not the main male protagonist, but he played the supporting role of Levi, a boat captain who was once a diver. He owns a tourist diver in the territory of the British Virgin Islands and is assisted by Noah (Jack Parr), his young subordinate and former college student.
Then, one day, Noah’s friends, including his ex-girlfriend Sam, a New York-based ER doctor (Kim Spearman), Brett, a Wall Street investment banker and influencer (Alexander Arnold), Logan (Arlo Carter) and Riley (Erin Mullen), visit the island after they discover some wreckage. As you might remember, it was the USS Charlotte that was sunk by that German submarine back in 1944. They are eager to go down to the wreck, and Brett offers a high price to Levi and Noah to take them there by boat. Levi refuses Brett initially but gets convinced when Noah asks for a large amount. Noah, the professional diver, would take a group of divers to reach the deep end of the ocean where the wreckage is submerged. As for Levi, he has a leg injury, so he remains on the boat.
Running low on air, feeling panicked, and even consuming alcohol (the effects of which shift as pressure does—the passengers on the aircraft will be well aware of this fact), the characters engage in one ridiculous action after the next. They know where to find the pockets of air within the vessel so that they can rest there. But when the sharks arrive, things begin to seem rather bleak. To get back to the surface – and it doesn’t matter how they are going to get to the boat on which Levi is sitting, completely indifferent to their state – they will have to use all the wit (or lack of it) and quite a bit of good fortune. Of course, there are some rather intriguing judgements here. These sharks are more lifelike, curious, observing, and attacking in a manner not like an attacking shark but rather probing and testing the water, so to speak. Keeping people alive but mutilated adds more layers to the choices that the group has to make. If Sam is a doctor and there are old medical supplies present, then she can sometimes prevent some of the wounds from being fatal in the immediate sense but cannot stop them from reeking of blood. It also has a realistic undertone where the divers understand that if they were to ascend all at once, everyone would die of the bends. If they are able to come out of the wreck, they will be forced to stop and recover their breath in the middle of the sea.
This is not the debut of the director Joachim Hedén in underwater thrillers, and he does it well, using angles that constantly remind the audience that this is the territory of the sharks and that humans are invaders.
The Last Breath does build up to a more active final act where one of the characters, on his own, tries to outwit not just one but two sharks in the debris. But it is not sufficient to save this overall missed opportunity of an exciting shark film. There’s no float, bounce, or rush to The Last Breath; it seems like it is gasping for air from the starting line. Under Paris remains the only 2024 fin flick worth your time (so far).
The Last Breath 2024 Parents Guide Age Rating
The Last Breath is rated R by the Motion Picture Rating (MPA) for language and bloody/grisly images.
Violence & Gore: Included in the movie are four groundbreaking scenes of the shark attacks. Sharks are illustrated as realistic as real ones and opportunistic, trying to attack the divers first out of curiosity and then as predators. The people that get eaten get injured seriously by the shark. These injuries, and many others, are portrayed for real, with blood, aors, mutilation and the such like. The depiction of these injuries makes them appear more real, which enhances the horror and tension found in the movie. This is portrayed when Sam, the ER doctor, tries to treat some of the injuries that are caused by the accident using some of the equipment that they had before the accident occurred. These scenes can get quite gory because the emphasis is placed on the characters receiving their heavy injuries, which only serves to intensify the fictional world of the movie. Importantly, the characters depicted have to struggle for their lives, and the necessary measures include the fight against the sharks and the effects of being underwater both on physical and psychological levels.
Profanity: Many scenes in the film also include the use of foul language from the actors. There are scenes where characters actually swear, and the use of the F-word and other vulgarities are quite common based on the conditions they are in as a show that revolves around people under high stress, even in life-or-death situations.
Alcohol & Drug Use: Some of the main characters drink beer and wine, and the effects are seen particularly in their decisions during the scenes where they are underwater. Alcohol depicted in the film acts as an indicator of danger given the circumstances where the group is forced to make risky decisions besides the general tension created by the situation.
Sexual Content: The movie does not contain pornography or turn to sexual material for entertainment. Nonetheless, there can be incidental mention of specific names or hints of previous connections like Noah’s past with Sam, his ex-girlfriend. These themes are marginal, and the references to them are not important for the plot.
The Last Breath is a movie about scuba diving and is full of action, suspense, and concern. It is best suited for an R-rated movie. Excessive violence and crude language are used throughout the film; the portrayal of shark attacks, death, and severe body mutilations means children should not view it. Parents are warned of the strong, violent content and situations that may trigger psychological distress in young viewers.
