Movie Review— Don't Breathe

by Peter J. O'Connell

Don't Breathe. Released: Aug. 2016. Runtime: 88 mins. MPAA Rating: R for terror, violence, disturbing content, and language including sexual references.

Don't Breathe is a good title for this terrific thriller. It's good advice for some of the characters in the movie, and it reflects the fact that many in the audience may find themselves having to catch their breath at the intensity of the film.

Trapped would also be a good title for this movie. It's set in Detroit. Many have fled the blighted city--whole blocks have been abandoned, with only one or two occupied houses left on them. Yet some folks are trapped, for various reasons, and haven't yet been able to escape. 

Such are three young people. Money (David Zovatto) is a person of color caught up in the life of the streets. His blonde girlfriend, Rocky (Jane Levy), is a product of an abusive home—her mother used to lock her in the trunk of a car. Rocky longs for enough money to be able to flee to California with her younger sister. Alex (Dylan Minnette) has a crush on Rocky, even though she is with Money.

Alex's father works for a company that installs security systems. Alex uses knowledge that he acquires from that situation to help Money and Rocky break into houses. The trio usually don't steal enough to be charged with grand larceny if they should happen to be caught. One day, however, Money learns of a blind retired veteran who has been awarded a large settlement following the death of his daughter in an auto accident. The vet lives alone and is believed to keep the settlement money in his house—the only occupied one on his block. Money and Rocky overcome Alex's reluctance, and one night the three break into the home of the sleeping man, whom they believe is trapped in a disability that will make robbing him easy. 

Guess what? It isn't easy. The Blind Man (Stephen Lang) is a hardened combat veteran who hasn't lost his fighting skills despite his loss of sight. When he awakens, a grimly violent cat and mouse game of Blind Man versus the three youths ensues, and we become unsure of who is the cat and who is the mouse/mice. Who is trapped and who isn't?  Who is victim and who is villain? Who is protagonist and who is antagonist in the story? Our sympathies constantly shift between the aging, disabled American hero (Blind Man) attacked by criminals (the trio) and misguided, but basically good, youths attacked by a relentless revenger. 

The brilliant flux of perspectives and sympathies generated by the film make it far, far more than just another late summer horror release. The plot is based on creating suspense out of character and situation rather than manufacturing surprise and “jump scares.” This holds true even when there is a shocking revelation in the middle of the movie. Director/co-writer Fede Alvarez also interestingly evokes some mythic themes as the old blind man stalks the youths in the labyrinthine basement of his house.

Don't Breathe's cinematography is excellent. The scenes of devastated Detroit are haunting, and the filming in the Blind Man's house at night makes us “feel” the darkness without committing the mistake that so many thriller and horror films do of plunging us into Stygian gloom that makes it difficult to know what is going on. 

The acting, too, is excellent. Look for all three youths to become well-known, particularly Jane Levy. Though perhaps a bit too clean-cut looking for Rocky, she is definitely much, much more than a “scream queen.” And Stephen Lang has long been a highly praised character actor. Although he has only 13 lines in the entire film, his powerful presence speaks volumes, frightening volumes. When Blind Man tells the youths to “Get out of my house!” he makes the shotgun-wielding Clint Eastwood character's famous demand in Gran Torino (also set in Detroit) to “Get off my lawn!” seem like a polite, deferential request.

Don't Breathe is definitely a “do see” movie. 

“Footnote” to the film: From time to time, Stephen Lang appears on stage in his acclaimed one-man show, Medal of Honor, about the experiences of American heroes who have received that great award.