Refreshing and invigorating viewing for those who are brave enough to take the plunge.
Reviewed by Daniel Dercksen (24/03/17)
During a time where housebreaking has become an everyday occurrence, the superb Don’t Breathe is guaranteed to curb crime and stop criminals dead in their tracks.
In this shocking and enthralling thriller, writer-director Fede Alvarez goes for the jugular with an unapologetically brutal and twisted horror-thriller that pits a trio of thieves against an unexpectedly dangerous adversary.
It’s the second feature film from Alvarez, who raised hell with Evil Dead, now showing what happened when a trio of friends breaks into the house of a blind recluse confident of an easy score only to find themselves in a terrifying life-or-death struggle.
It’s not an exploitative rip-off or B-grade seen-it-all-before, but cleverly shows how a seemingly harmless crime can erupt into a nightmarish hell where death is the only outcome.
When the film opens with a young woman being dragged by her hair down the middle of a suburban street during the quiet, early hours of the morning, you know you are in for an out-of-this-world experience that offers something unique: a scary film that is truly frightening.
It’s a masterful cat-and-mouse chase in the tradition of the classic Wait Until Dark, between a relentless hunter and ensnared prey , where the tables turn and constantly spirals into bloody mayhem.
The hunted in Don’t Breathe are three ordinary young people who make the mistake of breaking into the house of a supposedly harmless victim, an action they soon regret and one they cannot escape from as the blind man becomes a conniving killer who cunning bravado leaves no mercy.
Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette, Daniel Zovatto as the three perpetrators and Stephen Lang as the old man deserve medals for their outstanding performances; there are moments in the film where the fear is so real, that its heightened realism causes tension you can cut with a knife.
Don’t be surprised if you stop breathing during the film. The good news is that it only gets more frightening, a cold fear that grabs hold of you and never lets go, until the very last moment that will hit you like a ton of bricks, and even then, you won’t be able to escape its rapturous wrath.
During a time where the horror genre is drowned in an onslaught of sequels and nothing original, Don’t Breathe offers refreshing and invigorating viewing for those who are brave enough to take the plunge.
Believe the title, and be assured that Don’t Breathe promises what it delivers, and takes your expectations to extreme measures.
It’s a shocking film with cruel intentions that is not malicious, but it will upset sensitive viewers, so be warned.
The good news is that the film is now available on DVD and Home Entertainment has never been more suitable for a film than this, offering the added pleasure of a delightful audio commentary by the writer-director Fede Alvarez and co-writer Rodo Sayagues, as well as actor Stephen Lang; there’s also some insightful doccies on how the film was made.