Don’t Breathe, American movie (2016)

If there is one thing that I am afraid of losing, it is my eyesight. I can’t imagine living in a world of total darkness not being able to watch movies anymore or reading books anytime I want to. Or even more important: not being able to see the faces of friends and loved ones. If I were allowed to choose, I would rather lose my hearing. Not that I would ever want to mind you. Now, it’s been a while since I’ve posted a review for a horrormovie. The last time was more than a month ago, so it’s about time that I revisit one of my favorite moviegenres. So what was all that rambling about losing my eyesight you ask? Let’s just say it has everything to do with the movie that I am about to review. And not to get to far ahead of things, but it’s certainly one of the better horror/thriller movies that I have seen in quite a while.

Shhhhh, did you hear something? 

For anyone who was ever in doubt that crime does not pay, he or she should really watch this movie. Don’t Breathe focusses on a trio of young burglars, Rocky, Money and Alex, who struggle to make a living. Money is the toughest of the threesome and someone who has pretty much no conscience. Rocky, his girlfriend, tries to make enough cash to get away with her younger sister from her horrible parents that are neglecting them. And then there is Alex the more sensible of the three, and who obviously has a crush on Rocky. When Money sells the goods from their latest heist, he doesn’t really get a fair price. Rocky is especially distraught by this, as she sees her dreams of a quick getaway evaporate into smoke. But then a golden opportunity arises. In an abandoned Detroit neighbourhood there is a house that is occupied by a retired US army veteran. He supposedly has a lot of cash in his house, and even better: he is blind. This seems almost to good to be true. But when the trio enter the man’s house at night, they soon find out that they might have taken on a little bit more than they can chew……

Aww come on, don’t be scared. You do know a dog is man’s best friend right? 

Don’t Breathe is one of those movies that will have you on the edge of your seat throughout most of the film. It’s not without it’s flaws, but overall it’s a very effective thriller with a pretty cool concept. Stephen Lang, who most people might remember as the villain from Avatar, plays the retired blind army veteran. And boy is he a scary guy. You will truly be afraid of this man, despite his blindness, and Lang’s acting is superb. Rocky is played by the relatively unknown actress Jane Levy, and I was pretty impressed by her performance. She is not the damsel in distress you see in most horror movies, but a really tough chick that can hold her own in a very gruesome situation. Her acting was very natural and I hope we get to see more of her in the future.

Hang on a second guys, I have an itch I have to scratch. 

As much fun as this movie is there are a couple of things that might turn some people off. For one thing this is a pretty violent movie. There is a scene near the end of the film, and trust me you will know which scene I mean when you see it, that really was pretty disgusting. It did not ruin the movie for me, but I did think that it went a bit too far in terms of violence. And then there are some actions that the characters do that make no sense, and are pretty dumb to say the least. But I guess that is nothing really unusual as we have countless examples in horror history where we have seen this sort of stuff before. Another not altogether small problem is that these characters are not very likeable. In fact they are criminals, and even though Rocky certainly seems to have a tough life, that doesn’t justify her going off on a crime spree.

I’m not that fat, you can pass without any problems mr Blind Man. 

All in all though, this is a very decent thriller with some nailbiting scenes that will get your heart pounding. Coupled with Lang’s great performance, and some interesting plot twists, it’s a movie I recommend seeing. If you are turned off by violence though I think you had better pass on this one. As usual when a horrormovie becomes a succes, I hear a sequel is already in the works. I hope I am proven wrong, but this will probably mean that we get a product that throws away all the stuff that was so great in the original. And it will ramp up the violence. One only has to take a look at the Saw franchise to see how that turned out. And you really don’t have to be blind to see that.

I give Don’t Breathe a 8 out of 10 score.