For horror’s sake 

Do not for a moment mistake it for Godard’s ‘Breathless.’ Nor is it meant to. ‘Don’t Breathe,’ which is meant to be a request, promises suspense in large Hitchcockian doses, and it succeeds to an extent but credibility is thrown out of the window. It’s plus point, however, is that it is well-crafted.

Rocky (Jane Levy), her boyfriend Money (Daniel Zovito) and Alex (Dylan Minnette) are three Detroit delinquents who make a living by breaking into homes secured by Alex’s fathers security company. Rock’s dream is to move to California with her kid sister to escape from their irresponsible mother.

So they target an ex-Army blind man (Stephen Lang), living on his own with a fierce black dog. Shades of Audrey Hepburn in the 1960s classic ‘Wait Until Dark’ but sadly cannot be mentioned in the same breath (pun unintended).

How this trio undertake the operation is what the film is all about. Director Fede Alvarez has the ideal ingredients, varied players, an intricate house on different levels and big, black dog, almost on call duty. But he doesn’t use them judiciously.

It’s horror-for-horror’s-sake with pseudo-suspense at each turn, aided by elimination of the thieves from time to time followed by surprising recoveries. There are glitches aplenty. How many shots does the pistol hold? When and why does it go blank? That the blind can “see” better than the others with eyes!

Jane Levy goes through much and is credible enough but Daniel Zovato and Dylan Minnette are essentially decorative. Stephen Lang, however, is excellent as the blind man. But if you turn a blind eye (shouldn’t be difficult) one may even find ‘Don’t Breathe’ mildly enjoyable.

Film Name : Don’t Breathe

Cast : Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette, Daniel Zovato & Stephen Lang
Direction : Fede Alvarez
Genre : Horror
Likes : Plot, running time (88 minutes) and Stephen Lang
Dislikes : Too many loose ends