From the trailer and the poster you would think this is (God forbid) yet another slasher film. It’s not. Instead, it’s a cross between “Wait Until Dark” starring Audrey Hepburn and David Fincher’s underrated “Panic Room”. The result? A thriller that pumps out suspense from the word go. The premise is simple: three clumsy burglars decide to break into the house of a wealthy blind man. Easy job? You’d think. Soon enough, they’ll realize that he isn’t as harmless as he appears to be. I’ll say no more, except that it’s a kick to watch Stephen Lang spice amusement with real menace here. Writer director Fede Alvarez (who directed the “Evil Dead” remake a few years ago) builds solid suspense out of the lightweight material at hand. And yet there are moments when “Don’t Breathe” becomes a metaphoric battle between two bruised people seeking, in a way, redemption. Not bad for a popcorn movie, especially when Lang is exceptionally good at taking you places you don’t see coming. Needless to say, I was pleasantly impressed.
Categories: 3/4, horror, The Twenty-First Century, thriller