'Don't Breathe' - Movie Review

Dont BreatheA Horror ThrillerDirector Fede AlvarezCast Stephen Lang Dylan Minnette Daniel Zovatto Sergej Onopko Jane Levy Katia BokorRatingFede Alvarezs first feature since his highly effective reawakening of Evil Dead in 2013 this homeinvasion psycho thriller is a sort of Wait Until dark meets 10 Cloverfield Lane in a pulsating brutal and conscienceless pursuit of breathtaking thrills and gaspevery minute turnsWatch the trailer of Dont BreatheSo while the events that transpire here seem manufactured and contrived the experience of it is so involving that you conveniently forget the sillies and wholeheartedly concentrate on seeing who gets out of this fingerwringer aliveFor the three youngsters hellbent on accumulating riches by crook in order to get out of their ghettoized existence by breaking and entering a blind recluses home whom they know of as having received a huge payoff recently is a piece of cakeor so it seemsThe three friends Dylan Minnette Jane Levy and Daniel Zovatto may have managed to get inside the home of blind recluse retired army man Stephen Lang but getting out with the money has inevitably become a far cry in the cat and mouse theatrics that ensues What they plan for is not what happens inside The money is not easy to find and the blind man is not as helpless as they thought he was plus his guard dog is not as easily decommissioned as expected To add to their woes the security system is not all engineered by Alexs fathers Security Co either so things go awry right from the word go and the three have to not only try and save their skin but also take the money out but thats easier said than doneWhat Fede Alvarez does best is confine his characters within a tight space play heavily on the lighting and keep the pacing tense and claustrophobic Pedro Luques camera literally prowls within the confined space production designer Naaman Marshalls interiors look used and worn Roque Banos score adds heaviness to the atmosphere while the three credited editors cut and chop through splicing together a labyrinthine narrative that is both mysterious and querulous Dont Breathe is far more grounded and believable than its precursor 10 Cloverfield Lane It sucks you in and throws you out with equal relish Of course there are plausibility issues given the contrived nature of the setup They dont hold up the enjoyment thoughThere isnt any character development here No time for it The three intruders just want money to start new lives and they see nothing wrong in stealing it from a blind man who is well past his prime Even though we get the picture about their dysfunctional lives we just dont empathise with their need for pulling off a heist And to top that Alvarez makes even the so called helpless blind man unsympathetic So for most of the movie you dont really care about who survives the brutality being unleashed but rather are more intrigued by how its being done So technique camerawork background score and tempo are the mainstay here And of course the actors have to look scared yet play out the survival game at their most desperateIts a largely onset exercise in terror and its played out in real time with a never ending series of challenges thrownup for survival against all odds so the increase in heart rate is quite palpable Also since the blind man has keener senses it makes dialogue difficult for the intruders So they have to hold their breath as best as they can move with stealthiest lightfootedness and muffle up their gasps even when they feel shocked out of their wits Moral issues are segued over for experiential benefits So issues that rancor never get to the fore and the viewer gets to have an experience thats memorable as long as it lasts