"You'll be sitting on the edge of your seat.' That's the hyperbolic line that is thrown out way too often in describing something that is action-packed, adrenaline-fueled, or suspenseful. It has become cliche, and I never really think about it in terms of actually meaning anything. However, it is so delightful to be a part of an experience where I am sitting forward in anticipation, my body frozen, as I dangle on the edge of a comfy theatre chair in wait of what will happen next.
It is an experience that seldom happens, and I believe, if I really put the brain effort into it, I could count the times it has taken place on one hand. To captivate the audience to the point of that sort of physical reaction is so difficult to pull off. Yet there I was, fully drawn into my screening of Don't Breathe. It was not just me. As the film quieted down I noticed that there was not a sound to be heard in the entire theatre. Nobody was talking, nobody was shifting in their seats. The entire crowd was in the palm of director Fede Alvarez'a hand.
This is because, in only his sophomoric feature film effort, Alvarez has shown that he is a master in setting the mood as well as the stakes. Both are incredibly important. If you have a good atmosphere but don't care about the characters and the outcome, it will be a bust. If you really like the characters but the setting is a bore, you can lose interest quickly.
The story is about three young people who break into homes and take items, leaving money behind. All of a sudden, there is a big score that they have in front of them. A blind army vet is sitting on a lot of cash, and the three cannot pass up the opportunity for the amount of money they could rake in. From there, it turns into a home invasion film, but one that is able to stand out from others in the genre.
Right from the beginning of the film, we are able to attach to the motivations of the protagonist, Rocky (Jane Levy). She is living in an absolute shit hole in Detroit, and wants to get her and her sister out of there. Alvarez, who also penned the script alongside Rodo Sayagues, doesn't try and make her the ultimate of moral heroes. He allows her to be flawed and for us to question her actions at times. This is the kind of character that I really love, someone who feels like they could live in the real world and has real life struggles around what to do with ethical decisions.
The performance of Levy is off the charts, and it is clear that she is an under-rated talent in Hollywood. She was solid in Alvarez's Evil Dead, but here she runs the gauntlet of emotions, portraying them all with her entire body and soul. This is key to making us care about how things will turn out for the young woman who ends up in a very scary situation.
The other standout performance comes from Stephen Lang as the blind man. He is an absolute terror on the screen, a determined force that will make the intruders pay for going into his house. He has moments of passion and devastation as well, as Alvarez and Sayagues wrote him to be more than just a one dimensional antagonist.
From the moment the break in takes place, Alvarez sets the intrigue and suspense through a masterful sequence that is designed to feel like one continuous take. It shows the exploration of each of the robbers through the house, as well as taking note of different objects. It is clear to the audience that these objects are going to be of significance later in the film, but it doesn't detract from their payoff at all. This one scene is the beginning of a nightmare that unfolds as the robbery turns pear-shaped and three become caught in a horrific world as the blind man tries to find them.
The skills of Alvarez's attention to atmosphere and setting were the biggest take aways from Evil Dead. The man knows how to establish an environment and ensconce the audience within it. The house itself feels like a living character in Don't Breathe, as it creaks and groans as they move, giving away their position, as well as having a terrifying maze-like basement.
The past few years have shown that there are some outstanding horror directors on the rise, and Don't Breathe declares that Fede Alvarez is not just in that conversation, but that he has already arrived. He brings well earned jump scares through the use of timing and pace, and keeps a struggle for life unfolding with silence and patience as well as driven moments with a dominating score. This is an outstanding addition to the home invasion genre, and should be seen by horror fans the world over.
Rating - 3.5 out of 4 stars
