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Based on a true story, the harrowing drama follows three pipeline workers as they head to the bottom of the North Sea for routine maintenance.

One is a newly engaged rookie, another’s a grizzled veteran, the third is a level-headed pro, able to size things up within minutes.

All seems fine and then the three encounter a problem and “Last Breath” lives up to its harrowing title.

For Woody Harrelson and Simu Liu, veterans of the mission, the work doesn’t seem as daunting as it does for Finn Cole. He plays the youngest member of the team and, seemingly, the one with the most to lose.

When he and Liu go down to start the mission, director Alex Parkinson plants enough doubt to make this seem dicey — even for ones who have been at it for years. As expected, the story hinges on getting the men to safety and the mission back on track.

While the film is hyper-focused on the three, there are those in the ship who must worry about a storm and getting equipment aligned for recovery. To track the urgency, Parkinson uses a countdown clock that shows how much air is available and, ultimately, how much time is left for a rescue.

It’s a nail-biting experience, even if you know the outcome and may have seen the documentary that preceded this fictionalized version. While the predecessor had to rely on audio and some footage to tell the story, Parkinson can go to the heart of the situation and detail every pulse-pounding minute.

It’s to the actors’ credit that they don’t pour on the drama. Like astronauts they’re very much about the business at hand.

Cole, though, is the real gut check. He wins our affection immediately, then reels us in as the story unfolds. Every tear we shed on his behalf is well-earned.

Although “Last Breath” doesn’t tell a story we haven’t heard, it does show us where dangerous moments exist. Subtly, it says something about pipelines, too, and lets Harrelson make claims about the negatives of retirement.

When “Last Breath” gets to those inevitable scenes from real life, they’re even more emotional than we thought.

The film makes us appreciate jobs we didn’t know existed and the people who dare to do them. Harrelson and Liu are fine but Cole is the deserving scene stealer. He earns every tear he gets.