Review of Don't Breathe (2016) by Patrick L — 29 Jan 2017

"With a smart premise and a compelling female lead, "Don't Breathe" makes a terrifying entrance as the best horror film since "The Conjuring 2".".

Movie Review: Don't Breathe.

Date Viewed: September 1 2016.

Directed By Fede Alvarez (Evil Dead).

Written By Fede Alvarez and Rodo Sayagues.

Starring: Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette, Stephen Lang, Daniel Zovatto, Franciska Torocsik, Emma Bercovici, Christian Zagia, Katia Bokor and Sergej Onopko.

The year of good horror continues to roll on. It's about a home invasion that turns horribly wrong as the victim who is a blind war veteran becomes surprisingly resourceful and mercifully tries to find and kill the robbers. Instead of supernatural entities we get a blind man who plots to kill the protagonists who are teenagers. "Don't Breathe" comes from the twisted mind of director Fede Alvarez who three years ago gave us the "Evil Dead" remake.

Alvarez apparently wanted to take a different route as he switches from The Book of the Dead and buckets of blood to a scary blind man who's played hauntingly well by Stephen Lang who was also the villain in "Avatar". With a smart premise and a compelling female lead, "Don't Breathe" makes a terrifying entrance as the best horror film since "The Conjuring 2".

The plot revolves around three teenagers, Rocky (Jane Levy), Alex (Dylan Minnette, from "Goosebumps") and Money (Daniel Zovatto) who live in pre-2008 recession Detroit as they break into people's homes for a living. How do they break into multiple houses and not get caught by the authorities? Well, Alex's father happens to work for a home security company which is why they break into these homes. The troubled teens break into the house, unlock the security code, steal precious goods and walk away clean.

Rocky lives a poor environment with her little sister and mother who doesn't give a damn about her. Soon, Money receives a tip about a blind man who lives in a poor Detroit neighborhood and just happens to have $300,000 locked away in his vault. Alex remains skeptical of the next robbery but the three teen robbers go along with their plan to rob the blind man and make an easy getaway.

Our three teen delinquents drug the blind man's dog and break into the house which is filled with barred windows but after shooting at a locked door, the blind man comes downstairs and wants to find out who's there. The blind man suddenly kills Money with his own gun and Rocky becomes terrified and hides in a closet. What should've been an easy robbery is now turning into something that is more dangerous and scary.

Rocky and Alex now must find a way to escape from the house with the money and outmaneuver the blind man in every way possible. How did the blind man manage to get $300,000? Well, tragedy struck him when his daughter was killed in a car accident by a wealthy young woman. "Don't Breathe" has one terrifying twist after another and the screenplay by Alvarez and Rodo Sayagues doesn't bog down into cheap antics and jump-scares.

The movie was produced by veteran horror master Sam Raimi and his Ghost House production company and both previously collaborated with Alvarez for his "Evil Dead" which was a remake to Raimi's 1981 original.

It maybe 88 minutes long but Alvarez knows how to scare the audience as he builds up the tension and suspense. "Don't Breathe" is a welcoming end to what was a very lackluster summer season.