Don’t Breathe is a 2016 horror movie directed by Fede Alvarez. It deals with a group of people trying to rob an old blind man not knowing he has a surprise for them. Below is my Don’t Breathe (2016) movie review
At the beginning we see a bunch of friends robbing rich folks. They act obnoxious, even go as far as peeing on their stuff. We are not sure what to think of them or whether to feel bad that they were sucked into a world of crime. Either way, when they find out that an old vet has a lot of money in his safe, they decide to rob him. Knowing that he is blind, they think the score would be easy. However, we soon find out that the old man is more dangerous than they think.
Once they enter the house, the whole movie becomes a game of cat and mouse. Thinking they have an advantage, the robbers go on trying to find the safe. From this point on, the movie becomes very suspenseful. The old man knows the entire house and his keen sense of hearing becomes a key in many rooms where it is pitch black. We are made to sympathize with the old man and the overall situation he is in. He is trying to live a quiet and peaceful life yet he is disturbed by a bunch of delinquent teenagers. It is not until the end that the script is flipped and the old man becomes not so innocent.
The old man (played by Stephen Lang) wore contact lenses that restricted his sight, especially in low light. He relied mainly on the walls to find his way around the house. This is evident in scenes where we see the walls having streaks of worn out wood from constant touching.
As mentioned before the majority of the movie is very tense. The soundtrack seems to have been mainly focused on us hearing the footsteps. While intense, it is also plausible that people can move around in an old house without making a lot of noise. The floorboards would be way too squeaky. This a small complaint as overall the movie is tense and has some great scenes of fright. The old man pops out of nowhere multiple times, which can be frightening knowing the characters can’t make any noise that will give away their location.
Overall a good movie with some great acting. The ending has a twist that is one of the main reasons people liked this movie. It is gross and disturbing but overall solid and unexpected. The atmosphere is tense and the constant chasing in the house is well done and quite suspenseful.
There is also Don’t Breathe sequel that came out in 2021 that IMO is not as good.
Thanks for reading my Don’t Breathe (2016) movie review
