Don’t Breathe (2016) Screen Gems/Horror-Thriller RT: 88 minutes Rated R (terror, violence, disturbing content, language including sexual references) Director: Fede Alvarez Screenplay: Fede Alvarez and Rodo Sayagues Music: Roque Banos Cinematography: Pedro Luque Release date: August 26, 2016 (US) Cast: Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette, Daniel Zovatto, Stephen Lang, Emma Bercovici, Christian Zagia, Katia Bokor, Sergej Onopko, Jane Graves. Box Office: $89.2M (US)/$157.1M (World)
Rating: ***
Who says horror films aren’t educational? We can learn a lot from them. In the 70s/early 80s, they taught audiences what not to do in scary situations. We learned not to open the door or window, look in the basement, answer the phone, go in the house or be afraid of the dark. Such rules of the genre are always preceded by the word “don’t” leading to great titles like Don’t Open the Door, Don’t Open the Window, Don’t Look in the Basement, Don’t Answer the Phone, Don’t Go in the House and Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark. If nothing else, these titles look great on marquees and ads promoting triple features at grindhouse theaters.
It’s been a while since somebody made a “Don’t” horror flick (the 2010 remake of Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark notwithstanding). As such, the trailer for Don’t Breathe immediately caught my attention. My anticipation grew when I learned it was directed and co-written by Fede Alvarez, the man behind the Evil Dead remake three years back, one of the very few horror remakes that’s actually any good. I had concerns that it was being released the last weekend in August but kept my fingers crossed. It’s not inconceivable a good movie might come out amidst all the crap that studios traditionally dump in theaters this time of year. My optimism, for a change, paid off. Don’t Breathe is one of the better horror movies I’ve seen these past few years.
A trio of young burglars- Rocky (Evil Dead star Levy), her tough-guy boyfriend Money (Zovatto, It Follows) and Alex (Minnette, Goosebumps), a nice guy who’d like to be her boyfriend- get more than they bargained for when they break into home of a blind Gulf War vet (Lang, Avatar) who’s supposedly sitting on a large pile of cash. It’s a settlement from the wealthy family of the girl who avoided jail after killing his daughter in a car accident. Just because the guy is blind doesn’t mean he’s helpless. On the contrary, he’s paranoid, unhinged and violent. Upon realizing he’s not alone, the man quickly disarms and kills Money, leaving Rocky and Alex to find the money and get out without alerting him to their presence. Naturally, that’s NOT how it goes down.
Instead of a bloodbath, Alvarez relies on suspense and claustrophobia (and one crazy, unexpected twist) to drive Don’t Breathe. The movie is set almost entirely in the vet’s house on a street with no neighbors adding a sense of isolation. Alvarez makes maximum use of this single location. Every room, floor and ventilation duct transforms the house into a dark labyrinth/fortress from which there is no escape. The “victim” becomes the predator hunting his prey in an environment in which he has the advantage. He’s used to navigating in the dark; the thieves are not.
One of the movie’s most clever touches is how it toys with the audience’s loyalties. Theoretically, you should be rooting for the blind guy and jeering at the young punks trying to rob a blind war vet. Alvarez starts by providing motive for the robbery. Rocky wants to move to California with her little sister (Bercovici) to escape their abusive mother (Bokor) and her no-good bum of a live-in boyfriend (Onopko). It may be morally wrong to steal, but in this instance it’s for the right reason. Once we learn what’s really going on in that house, Rocky becomes the heroine while the blind guy is turned into a monster. It helps that cinematographer Pedro Luque usually shoots Lang from low angles.
Levy is quite good in Don’t Breathe. Her character is also the only one of the thieves to get any form of development. We don’t learn much about Money and Alex beyond their identities of boyfriend and admirer respectively. The two actors do well with what little they’re given to work with. Lang is terrific as the victim-turned-victimizer. There’s nothing one-dimensional about his performance either. We come to understand his reasons for making certain choices and doing the things he does. Neither he nor Rocky are painted in purely black-and-white terms. They’re different shades of gray.
Don’t Breathe has a few solid “BOO!” moments. At times, it can be terrifying like when the thieves find themselves facing the blind man’s vicious guide/guard dog*. The scene in the basement is particularly good. The climax is also quite good even if it does go on a little bit longer than it needs to. Alvarez makes great use of the movie’s Detroit setting, a bleak and depressing town filled with empty homes and shattered dreams. Don’t Breathe runs a lean 88 minutes which keeps the story taut and tight. It’s well-constructed and expertly filmed. It doesn’t redefine the genre, but it does breathe new life into it. I can only hope we’ll see more good “Don’t” flicks in the near future.
*= The dog doesn’t die.
