September 19, 2016
Ellie Colpitts
This summer, horror fans flocked to see “Don’t Breathe,” a thrilling film containing a deathly game of cat and mouse.
The film, set in Detroit, centers around three characters who resort to breaking into houses and stealing valuable items, which they are compensated for.
Gang leader Money (Daniel Zovatto) encourages the group to break this habit and go directly after money instead, which requires breaking into the home of an older, blind man (Stephen Lang).
Money’s tough-guy character and ambition was displayed well, Rocky (Jane Levy) was conveyed as the relentless fighter as intended and Alex (Dylan Minnette) was the nice guy next door character trying to resolve issues.
The burglars are in for a horrifying surprise when they find out the true nature of the seemingly helpless man they are robbing.
Even though the film was advertised as a horror movie, it would mostly appeal to those who enjoy psychological and suspense thrillers.
Upon spying, the crew discovers that the man they plan to rob is blind. This creates panic and a change of heart for the other two members—Rocky and Alex. Despite their displeasure with the situation, the robbery is pursued.
After the thieves enter the house, they are welcomed with the horrifying surprise that the inhabitant is not as frail and helpless as they assumed— he has abilities that wildly surpass theirs, causing the raid to be far from the walk in the park they expected.
Thrilling as it was, the film dragged on unnecessarily long as the victims made little progress.
The bulk of the movie revolved around the same situation, which got old and repetitive quickly. It seemed as if the victims’ attempts to escape were futile and insufficient on purpose, leaving little for a complex plot.
This made for an easy-to-follow plot with limited instances where the audience was truly frightened by what they were viewing, but it was easy to predict what would happen next as the thieves tried to escape.
While the story was unexciting, the artistic filming was impressive; vivid wide shots and close ups depicted the actors’ terror. As with most films in the horror genre, suspenseful music contributed to the eerie mood.
The disturbing turn of events made the movie more relevant and horrifying. If anything in the movie would be considered emotionally terrifying, it would be the twist at the end of the movie and its connections to real life psychopaths.
Similar to most movie experiences, seeing this film in the theater for the first time heightens eagerness and allows viewers to feel more involved. But this movie might be one that is better to wait for.
Save your money and rent it from Redbox if you’re dying to see it. Watching it from the comfort of your cou ch where your sarcastic predictions and stifled giggles will be less frowned upon.