Don’t Breathe Review

by Rachael Green

“Don’t Breathe” is an edge of your seat non-stop thrill that will have you leaving the theater disturbed in ways you may not have expected on your way in. A twisted home invasion story, Fede Alvarez, also director of the 2013 “Evil Dead” remake, has viewers feeling uneasy and even a bit queasy in his latest film.

Starring Jane Levy, Stephen Lang, and Dylan Minnette., the film focuses mainly on Rocky, who lives in a poor neighborhood with her alcoholic and verbally abusive mother, her young sister, and her mother’s boyfriend. Rocky longs to save her sister from their less than perfect life, and robs various houses in the city with two accomplices, Money and Alex. After some research and snooping around, they find their most lucrative robbery yet – the home of a blind war veteran.

“Don’t Breathe” is a seemingly never ending game of cat-and-mouse between the three burglars and the blind man with a very large amount of cash hidden in his run-down Detroit home. Alex, the brains of the group, works to disable the home’s alarm system,  while Rocky and Money search for the cash. Money finds his way into the blind man’s room where he is sleeping, and sets off some sort of gas to make sure he stays asleep while they rob him blind; no pun intended.

However, being the hardcore war veteran that he is, the blind man awakes despite the gas, finds Rocky and Money, and grabs ahold of Money, who of course, begs for his life. The blind man is not too happy that he is being robbed, especially after Money threatens to kill him, and he shoots Money. A horrified Rocky quietly crawls into a nearby closet where she discovers the hidden cash. She stashes the money in her backpack and sends Alex a text letting him know where she is. This is where things start to get really messy.

While Rocky and Alex try to escape, the blind man hears them and discovers that there was not only one burglar, but three. He runs to the closet and checks to see if his cash is still there, and, of course, it is not, so, he freaks out and starts boarding up all the doors and windows to make sure the theives have no way to escape.

The film leaves you a little confused as to who to root for, especially mid-story when things become a little twisted. For me, none of the characters are likeable from the start. They are thieves, after all. However, it is still worth seeing for its suspense and twists.

“Don’t Breathe” is an exhilarating ride the whole way that will have you exiting the theater with just the right amount of chills down your spine.