Don't Breathe

You'll be hard-pressed to find a more aptly titled film this year than Don't Breathe, director Fede Alvarez's simplistic but suspenseful sophomore effort that provides most, but not all, of the thrills and scares provided in the spoilery trailer. Besides that, the incredible use of sound, set pieces, and a solid cast giving their best all make for a deliciously wicked cocktail of a film, even if the aftertaste is a tad bitter.

Don't Breathe (2016)
Released: August 26, 2016
Director: Fede Alvarez
Screenplay: Fede Alvarez & Rodo Sayagues

Tagline: "This house looked like an easy target. Until they found what was inside."

Cast:
Stephen Lang as The Blind Man
Jane Levy as Rocky
Dylan Minnette as Alex
Daniel Zovatto as Money

Don't Breathe is, undoubtedly, a tense thrill ride, which his an impressive feat to pull off for a number of reasons, not least of which that the somewhat-spoilery trailers let us know much more than the basic premise. The film centers around a trio of down and out urban youths and petty thieves who make their cash by robbing wealthy homes of their valuables and electronics in bleak and desolate Detroit.  They decide to rob the home of a blind Gulf War veteran living in an otherwise abandoned suburb, thinking it'll be an easy score, but find that after they've broken into the house and blasted open a suspiciously locked door, they took on more than they bargained for in this particular heist.

As evidenced, the plot is simple, but that works in the film's favor. Little of the movie is wasted on nonsense or pointless characterization. Alvarez is adept at showing us only what we need to advance the story into the next frame while still giving his actors room to flex their roles. The cinematography is gorgeous, with some artful camera angles and skewed shots that add to the atmosphere of this flipped tale of the home invasion sub-genre. the camerawork makes the story feel epic in scale, even though we're confined to the very real-world setting of this decaying urban landscape, and the even realer setting of the house, which is made to feel like a labyrinth of twisted proportions thanks to the set design and clever tracking shots.

Marco?

Vital to the success of any great horror film is sound, from the infamous score in John Carpenter's Halloween (1978) to recent successes like It Follows (2014), sound can elevate a horror film to new, tense heights. In Don't Breathe, it's more the lack of sound that accomplishes this same feat in building the perfect, very particular atmosphere, needed for some of the film's most crucial moments. Which of course would also fall flat if not for the solid, strong talent of the actors, all of whom give very physical performances that ground the reality of the situation and help knock up the terror. Dylan Minnette provides a noticeably mature and believable performance in his role as level-headed Alex while Daniel Zovatto shines, albeit briefly, as Money, and the trio is anchored with a stalwart performance from Jane Levy, the film's de facto heroine. But Stephen Lang, in his performance as The Blind Man, steals the show, proving once again why he's so uniquely skilled at playing the villain. Lang adds depth, dimension, and even empathy to a character who might otherwise come off as inhumane in the hands of a lesser actor.

Yet for all this, I have to say that Don't Breathe still had its missteps. One of which occurred in the very opening shot. We open (with an awesome crane shot that tracks down into the suburban streets of Detroit) with a last-act revelation that offers up the fate of our characters, before then flashing back to watch the path that led here unfurl. And while this choice of opener doesn't detract of tense moments within the film, it detracts from the overall tension, as we know how things end up already. For me, this was a major detraction. I wish that Alvarez, or the studio, would trust the audience with a natural progression of story rather than unnecessarily opening on violence to "hook us." I couldn't help thinking that without this flash-forward scene, I would have been so much better positioned to have a rich, participatory experience with the movie. If you haven't seen it yet, I would honestly advise doing what you can to get to the theater a minute or two late. Your viewing will be much more "clean" that way.

Fro-yo after this, though?

Overall, Don't Breathe delivers. It's one of the better horror films of the year, combining slow burn tension with gut-punch terror and a sort of beautiful brutality. The Witch (2016) might be the "better" horror film for its atmospheric virtues, but Don't Breathe is the clear jolt fest. Alvarez wanted to prove wrong the critics who said he couldn't make an original horror movie without relying on blood and gore after his directional debut, the Evil Dead (2013) remake, and he succeeded. This film shows that he has a resourceful understanding of suspense, and a brilliant mind for what will get audience pulse racing. One scene in particular, a sequence shot entirely in night vision that is merciless and dripping with dread (not to mention a nice nod to Silence of the Lambs (1991) am I right?) is some fantastic filmmaking. Ironically, though, the film needed more restraint, or at least the marketing did. The trailers and promotions give away two of the movie's "twists" or turns in the storytelling, and the opening scene, as mentioned, needs to be cut, but there is one final surprising element that leads to one of the most disgusting moments in recent horror history. And if you're all about the journey, this is one hell of a ride for you. And you'll certainly need to catch your breath when it's over.


Don't Breathe (2016)

5-Totally Terrifying
4-Crazy Creepy

3-Fairly Frightening

2-Slightly Scary

1-Hardly Horror