From the team that brought you the 2013 “Evil Dead” remake comes the home invasion horror thriller, “Don’t Breathe.”

Alex, his crush Rocky, and her boyfriend Money, make their living as thieves, effortlessly breaking into houses owned by Alex’s dad’s security company. They hit the jackpot when they get a tip off that a blind, old vet is sitting on a large sum of cash.

They set a plan in motion to break into the old man’s house, steal the money and escape the dying suburbs. But little do they know, they are about to find themselves in mortal danger.

Cinematography 5/5

Right from the opening scene, an unsettling mood is set for the rest of the film; that uneasiness hardly ever fades. After the opener, a series of quick, focused shots with little dialogue sets up the three main characters. This silent, visual exposition begins to showcase Alvarez’s masterful eye by implementing the right scenes at the right moment.

Everything is concise and meaningful.

From the time the thieves start their mission until the end of the film, the tension is cranked to 11. The camera work is claustrophobic and purposeful during the break in. Just like the beginning montage of the trio thieving, the audience gets sweeping views of each room of the house as they search for the money. The camera will momentarily rest on an obstacle or a potential weapon, which may come into play later on. This technique of showing and not telling, or dramatic irony, is all the more effective once the Blind Man begins the hunt.

Tight angles, and deft camera manipulation as the trio maneuver their way through the house makes for one of the most thrilling games of cat-and-mouse I have ever seen. The main source of the terror is the camera’s focus on both where the Blind Man is, and where he is not.

It is incredible how by the Blind Man’s movement, the perfectly timed shots, and eerie lighting make him out to be as fearsome a monster as any that could be found in other supernatural horror films.

Writing 2/5

As stated before, the three main characters are established early on by their actions, rather than their words. When they do speak, it further cements their personality. The characters are rather straightforward, with little depth, but it is believable.

Also, given that it is a horror movie, character depth is not something that is expected. Speaking of horror movie expectations, it is the common trope for the characters on the run from main bad guy to make stupid decisions that ultimately make things worse for themselves. However, the choices the thieves make in their attempt to escape the Blind Man and the house are all fairly logical and realistic, which was a refreshing thing to see.

Unfortunately, while the first two-thirds are an edge-of-your-seat terror fest, the movie takes a turn for the worst with a plot twist that is uncomfortably laughable.
Fair warning to anyone wanting to see this movie: It is a very dark and violent film, especially so in the third act, when the aforementioned plot twist pushes the film into needlessly dark and uncomfortable territory.

Acting 3/5
Dylan Minnette does a fair job as Alex, the hesitant one of the trio. While his main two emotions are looking lovelorn and terrified, the conviction given to the role is consistent and believable. Daniel Zovatto plays Money, whose childish destructiveness and wannabe gangster vibe sticks out, but it doesn’t leave much room for development. Jane Levy, as Rocky, is the one I found the easiest to feel empathy for, as the audience sees a brief glimpse of her troubled home life.

Scott Lang as the Blind Man speaks little, which makes him all the more terrifying. Shuffling about the house, suddenly reacting to the slightest noise, Lang gives a satisfyingly ferocious performance.

Overall
There are a lot of things “Don’t Breathe” does right. Writer-Director Fede Alvarez’s skill behind the camera are incredible. The hunt scenes inside the vet’s house are successfully terrifying and heart-stopping. It is an extremely well done horror movie that doesn’t rely on jump scares or poorly explained supernatural phenomena. The first half of the movie works so well, that it makes the plot twist all the more disappointing.

“Don’t Breathe” is already a satisfyingly terrifying movie, but the last act crosses the line into just plain disturbing, so much so that it’s hard to recommend it. “Don’t Breathe” could have stayed with the mounting terror of the thieves trying to escape the house, continuing the use of Alvarez’s cinematography abilities to visually up the stakes, but the disorienting plot point in the third act throws it all away for nothing more than shock value.