Don't breathe -a review

Three young burglars (the alpha-male, his girlfriend, and the well-to-do boy hopelessly in love with her) decide to break into the house of an elderly blind man. Little do they know that this old man is former military and very capable of dealing with his problems, sight or not!

Don't breathe is being heralded as the best new horror/thriller on the market today. And, to be absolutely honest: it is a solid thrill ride. But I can't shake the feeling that; if this is the best on the market today, the market has taken a step back in its expectations.

In the final moments of Wait until dark –the inspirational predecessor- the screen went completely dark for (almost) a full minute. Don’t breathe fails to pull off that trick. To put the viewer in the ‘eyes’ of the blind man. I think that is one heck of a missed opportunity to crank up the tension.

Script

Again this is a movie that would have benefitted from a more streamlined script. Basically all the three criminals are cut-out characters that don't really have a moment to shine together- a moment for us to invest in them. And due to that the scares and jumps don't really work on a danger-level (or a “please-God-not-him/her”-level, if you will). Now, with such a small cast this is a harder achievement to pull off, I’ll give you. But this movie is very close.
 

Another scriptural nitpick is the smartness of the characters. True, they are humans who are scared out of their wits. But there were a lot of possible fight-back options available early on in the movie. In short I've seen movies in the past that handled this concept more effectively.

But nonetheless Don't breathe is still a solid thriller. If I had to give it a number (I never rate my reviews) it would be a well-earned eight. This has to do with the three solid pillars of this movie: the acting, directing and not-overstaying it's welcome.
 

There's also an awesome gross scene halfway through that has every theater in the world gasping in an OMG-giggle. You'll know it when you see it.

The acting

The acting is fantastic. Dylan Minnette is the heartthrob shy-boy he plays so well. Daniel Zovatto nails his part as a dumber than excrement white trash cannon fodder (it's really fun to hate him). And  Jane Levy is the more complex character of the bunch; shifting between naive and smart and greedy and compassionate.

But the real showstopper is definitely Stephen Lang: this brute of a man with intelligence who doesn't let his handicap bring him down. He is all muscle, he is all male, and he knows it. So what does he do? He shows vulnerability. Suddenly this ‘terminator’ becomes human; and therefore even more scary. I can deal with a murderous cyborg from the future, but how to deal with a smart human with a plan…no idea.

An additional bit of cleverness of this movie is how it handles sound. Without spoiling the movie to much the blind man (actually called the blind man in the credits) lives in a suburban house, in a street with no neighbors. No wonder he can hear every sound the burglars make. There's no interference. It's one of those additional little strokes of brilliance that elevate the movie and, at the same time, explains certain plotholes/unbelievabilities.

Plus, as a big plus, this movie doesn't shy away from throwing some of the more obnoxious sounds our way in all of its raw brutality.

Cinematography

There is something of a trend going on in thriller movies. In the Conjuring 1 and 2 the camera uses a long take to show every room that plays a part in the next hour and a half. Giving the viewer a layout of the place as it were. Don't breathe does the same thing but also incorporates various 'Chechov's guns';

Each little item the camera focuses on during this long-take is used later on and this is a very reassuring technique. It's a bit like Hitchcock's explanation of suspense (or informing the viewer): Now this character is in the room with 'that item' - and then you see that character use said item.

Other shots are intensely framed. A simple pan that shows the blind man appearing behind a character. Close-ups during fights and suspense. With one scene, lifted directly from a Jurassic Park-film, that actually managed to outdo Spielberg.

One thing I didn't like was the opening shot. It basically gives away the ending and, more so, even tells you rather bluntly what is going to happen to various characters. I would have preferred to be left in the dark about that (pun intended) - make it a surprise.

Overstaying

Don't breathe doesn't overstay its welcome, which is a good thing. How many variations of a hunting blind man's game can you put forth believably anyway (lots now that I think about it)? And even though -as I said before- some of the character choices are a bit too naive or passive to begin with; because the movie isn't stretched out it is a solid ride.

As a nitpick I do have to mention one or two horror movie tropes that this movies uses; which it shouldn't have. In no real order, without spoiling too much: If you defeat the villain - make sure he's dead. If a villain has a weakness - abuse the heck out of it. In movies: fighting is always better than fleeing!

So to summarize: Don't breathe is a solid thriller that could have been even better (which is a tad frustrating). The small story is elevated by the cast and some intense camerawork. And it doesn't last any longer than it should have and that is perfectly okay. Sit down in the dark seats of the movie theater and enjoy the blind man hunting you.