Don't Breathe - Movie Review
Earlier this year, I thought Hush was the one of the best home invasion films in recent history. I just saw Don't Breathe. Damn, Stephen "MF" Lang has drastically changed my opinion now. Let's break it down.
Don't Breathe is directed by Fede Alvarez and stars Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette, Daniel Zovatto, and of course, Stephen Lang. The premise for this movie is simple: these three friends like to break into houses and rob them for whatever. Then one day, they heard about an old, blind man that's sitting on a fortune in his house and think this heist will be easy. WRONG because Stephen Lang may seem fragile on the outside, but on the inside, he's something much more terrifying.
Thanks to this concept and cast, this movie is an intense 90 minute thrill ride that doesn't stop to (no pun intended) breathe and I loved it.
All three of the young robbers played off each extremely well and all of them at one point or another, truly captured that look of pure fear on their face. In a contained situation like this, I thought they depicted how actual people would naturally react and act. Their accurate portrayals made for some high stakes drama as they were being hunted by Stephen "MF" Lang.
I will continue to throw "MF" in with the mix when I talk about Stephen Lang in this movie because this dude is one scary, twisted mofo. Honestly, this character starts off harmless and innocent, but as the plot progresses and you start to put together who this old blind guy really is. The idea alone will give you an unnerving feeling in your stomach.
Also happy to see this horror movie continue to carry the tend of good tension building. The fact that this film's premise is an idea that hits close to home in the sense of realism really adds to the suspense and the intensity that these characters bring to the plot. The scares in this film are earned, they aren't cheap "here's a loud noise" out of nowhere scares. These scares are effective and continue to build and build throughout the runtime, that's what good horror movies should do.
The camera work, lighting, and sound design in this film also deserves big props here. Those elements together made for a chilling atmosphere for the characters in this small house invasion. There are times where the camera would pan around the house to show the environment and all of a sudden and ever so nonchalantly, Stephen "MF" Lang shows up with a gun pointing straight in the air at someone. Moments like that made me want to hold my own breathe for the characters themselves.
In the end, Don't Breathe did anything it needed to do to be a suspenseful, white knuckle, thriller. Good characters, a great premise, and effective scares made for a tightly constructed tension-filled joyride. Aside from a couple nitpicks, I was on-edge for a good majority of this film and that's exactly what I wanted.
I'm going to give Don't Breathe an "A-" on the movie grading scale. It's been an awesome year so far for the horror movies and this film capitalizes on the momentum. I can soundly say this is must watch for any true fan of horror, definitely check this one out. Fingers crossed for the Blair Witch remake!
As always, thanks so much for reading and make sure to stay posted to Frank’s Takes for more reviews. Until next time, keep it 100.
– Frank
