Review of Don't Breathe (2016) by Jake M — 18 Feb 2017

If nothing else, Don't Breathe made me very excited for future films from this director. Between this and his remake of Evil Dead, he's shown himself to be a versatile director with a very clear style and that he's able to create some great atmosphere. Unfortunately, Don't Breathe wasn't really the modern horror masterpiece I wanted it to be. I think it has some cult potential, and there's a lot to admire about it, but I also has some pretty big problems with it.

First, what's good about the movie? Well, a lot of things. For one it had my attention within the first two minutes. That may seem like an obvious thing, but really a lot of films forget this detail. By the time the movie really gets rolling, there was no chance I was going to leave early. I love this films originality. The director has called it a film of opposites, subverting horror clichés by having an antagonist who is disabled and a home invasion movie from the invaders perspective. Pretty cool ideas. The blind antagonist is especially a cool touch. It's like Daredevil meets Michael Myers, and it had me feeling silly when I caught myself holding my breath with the characters. I also really liked the look and atmosphere of the movie. It's grungy and kind of unpleasant, creating a real sense of uneasiness throughout. Also the actors all do a fine job. Jane Levy and Stephen Lang are the real standouts, but the other two do a serviceable job as well. There's a lot to love about this movie, but it does have some problems.

The biggest issue I have with this movie is I just simply didn't like any of the characters. I have no sympathy for thieves, so it was really kind of annoying when the movie tried to make me care about these people. It gives Jane Levy a sad home life to try to justify her behavior, and while I sympathized for her to a degree, it didn't make me accept her choices. Honestly for a while I was actually rooting for the blind man. Sure he was a bit extreme, but he was within his rights as a home owner. But then we get to a twist that destroys any sympathy for him and leaves me watch a bunch of s****y people doing s****y things to each other. This is a major problem with the movie, and it sort of baffles me that they tried to make this work. Even so, I have to admit, it almost does work. I did sometimes find myself getting so caught up in the events that I was a little worried about the thieves. I eventually was able to step back and realize that no they're still a-holes, but still, that's some skill there to even get me a little bit.

Don't Breathe is a mixed bag. There's a lot I really respect about it, and then there's other things that just bug the crap out of me about it. In the end, the good ultimately outweighs the bad though. It's an original horror thriller with a lot of technical skill and it's genuinely an exciting ride. I just hope this directors next film has some better characters.