Review of Don't Breathe (2016) by Brandon E — 15 Oct 2016

When I saw the trailers and heard about this film, I was intrigued. I'm a huge fan of the "tables have turned" thrillers when the hunted becomes the hunter. Don't Breathe does that but changes the formula in the second half. Part of the second half is where I lost interest. Originally I came into the film rooting for the blind man who is defending his house. Don't Breathe contains elements of Panic Room. The band of thieves include a tech expert who is familiar with the security of the house they are breaking into. One of the burglars has braided hair similar to Jared Leto's character. There is also a one shot take when the burglars break into the house.

The atmosphere works as we the audience do have a sense of claustrophobia, as the characters run around the house. It did a great job of providing a layout of the house, so the audience won't get confused as to where the action is taking place. The atmosphere works perfectly for a thriller of this nature. As for a thriller it is effective due to he ambience, sure there is one false jump scare but all of the other jump scares are effective to the plot. The thriller excels at scaring the audience based on the ambiance and mystery. Which is why I feel this movie is getting such a high praise. The location scouts did a good job of finding a torn down neighborhood that resembles Detroit, since this was filmed outside the country.

Overall it's a good atmospheric thriller, you definitely feel claustrophobic in this blind mans home. However the film takes a quick turn in when it comes to the characters.