 | MOVIE DETAILS • Name: Don’t Breath • Year: 2016 • Country: USA • Director: Fede Álvarez • Main cast: Jane Levy, Stephen Lang, Dylan Minnette, Daniel Zovatto • Runtime: 88 min • Production companies: Screen Gems, Stage 6 Films, Ghost House Pictures • TRAILER |
After three years of waiting, here we have the brand new Fede Alvarez’s film. We all remember him for being responsible of the direction of the awesome Evil Dead (2013) remake/reboot and left us with high expectations about his next cinematographic move. It was worth the wait? Let’s see…
The plot is quite simple: three young thieves (Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette, Daniel Zovatto) break into the house of a blind man (Stephen Lang) and he isn’t what he seems to be, so the cat and mouse game begins. Obviously, the blind man knows all the corners, secret corridors and hiding places of the house so even blindness doesn’t seem to be a problem at all for him. And this is one of the most important issues of the movie: it’s too much of a super hero (someone said Daredevil?).
No, seriously guys. He can’t smell three guys (smokers!), he can’t hear the crackling floor while they’re standing in front of him or hear their subtle breath while they’re hiding, but he can run as fast as the lighting and fight as hell. Ah, ok, did I say the guy was a retired Marine too? Well, it seems the senses work according to what the plot needs every minute then. And it’s a pity, because Fede knows exactly how to create visually awesome movies. He did it before, and he made it again with this one. The sense of dread is overwhelming and the cast fits their roles perfectly (Jane Levy ups the ante again after her big role in Evil Dead, two great jobs in a row, I’m really looking forward to her next movie!)
I don’t want to spoil the surprises, of course, but I’ll say the same again: too much easy-cheesy surprises. Too many unnecessary plot turns at the last minute. Too much of the “super-blind-man”. Besides the side story regarding the man’s past, the rest is just a long road with lots of stupid turns to get you to the same point you could have reached 45 minutes before without the unnecessary make up. Count how many times you think the movie is over, but…surprise! It’s not! (and you already know it because it’s happening again and again during the last leg of the film).
So this is a technically well done film with a simple plot but with A LOT of silly details that spoil the overall experience. Maybe the multiplex guys will be happy with it, but if you’re really into horror, I don’t think this film will suit all viewers.
RATE: 5/10
IMDB URL: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4160708
