Don’t Breathe starts us off with three young, but experienced cat burglars who live in
Detroit, Michigan. We see three typical characters: Rocky, played by Jane Levy, who took up a lifestyle of thievery to escape a treacherous homelife, Money (Danny Zovatto), Rocky’s bad-boy of a boyfriend and Alex, portrayed by Dylan Minnette, who appears to be the lovesick puppy that follows along only because of his affection for Rocky.

Viewers may also be heaving sighs due to the simplistic basis for the story, as well as the setting, the majority of which takes place in a blind man’s house.

However, this film, directed by Fede Alvarez, turns these clichés into a masterpiece of suspense and will certainly cast off any prejudice once watched.

The first appearance of the Blind Man makes him appear helpless to the audience, but this viewpoint is soon changed after the murder of Money. It is apparent that this war veteran’s, though blind, physical prowess is intact.

Due to his disability, his ability of hearing is increased to compensate for the loss of sight. Even the slightest creak brings the Blind Man rushing to the source of the sound, and because of this, there is little dialogue throughout the movie.

This forced Fede Alvarez and screenplay writer Rodo Sayagues to use every event and every action to advance the plot. There is not a single false scare as there are in many horror movies, and once the viewer realizes that every moment of tension will inevitably lead to something it’ll leave them watching through the slits of their fingers or gripping the edge of their seat.

During the progression of the movie, it is apparent that there are many darker themes at play. However, with the discovery of the Blind Man’s basement, we see a whole other level of, simply put, messed up.

As a result of this, we advise viewer discretion as there are elements of kidnapping, rape and gore.

While this movie was excellent and possessed a great plot, there were some flaws with it. There were times when it felt like it was building up to Rocky and Alex’s escape, only for the audience to be let down again. And again. And again. The twists to the movie were great at pushing the story forward and adding more insight. They kept you on the edge of your seat, but there were many psych-outs that made it almost a bit frustrating. However, if this was the writer’s point, then they pulled it off very well.

Overall, Don’t Breathe’s R rating is very appropriate, but that doesn’t stop it from being a fantastic film with great storytelling points and suspenseful action. We would recommend it for anyone over 17, as it was worth the time and money spent to go see this uniquely terrifying film.