DON’T BREATHE (2016) Review
Directed by Fede Alvarez
The title itself “Don’t Breathe” will give you what to expect in the film, an edge-of-your-seat experience. And thankfully, it didn’t disappoint. There are more than enough surprises, suspense and thrills whether they’re just jump scares or tension solidly built for the most unnerving movie experience you will have.
The film opens with the situation of its protagonists, stealing from the rich because they’re poor. And it’s not the Robin Hood type but because they’re tired of being poor. Rocky (Jane Levy) is a daughter of a wasted mother, while the film didn’t show, she wanted to leave their family along with her little sister and start a new life somewhere. And she has no other ways to pursue her plans but to steal with Alex (Dylan Minnette) and Money (Daniel Zovatto).
An informant tipped Money that some blind guy has a big amount of cash hidden somewhere inside his house. But the thing is, they are in for more than what they expected, and not in a good and pleasant way.
Don’t Breathe will definitely leave you breathless as it effectively sets up its suspenseful scenes. While Levy and Minnette are convincing in their roles, the main attraction of the film is Stephen Lang. The oh-so-scary Lang gives one of the most chilling performances this year, you’ll heavily and terrifyingly anticipate what’s going to happen next. And it keeps on surprising, every twist, every revelations, it’s a marathon of WTF moments. You’ll get what you expected from the film and maybe even more.
In short, it’s more than a satisfying experience, you’ll probably keep shaking even after the screening. Director Fede Alvarez is still in his game offering something familiar but gives it his own take making it a whole new experience. We might feel that a good suspense thriller is hard to find nowadays, but with Don’t Breathe, we might not need to look that hard after all.
4 OUT OF 5 STARS
“Don’t Breathe” opens August 31, 2016 in Philippine cinemas nationwide, also in MX4D. Rated R-13 by the MTRCB.